The Redditing Of Political Communication

There is no doubt that the popularity of sites like Reddit, the Cheezburger network (home to LOLCats and Failblog), Tumblr and other humour sites have been noticed by communicators.  One medium in particular, the Internet meme, seems to have invaded the US electoral conversation.  

Notable figure Congressman Paul Ryan already has a meme, which House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi adopted in an attack on Ryan earlier this year.  Finance Services Committee member David Schweikert took a page from the popular "Call Me Maybe" meme to post one of his own on his official Facebook Page.  

This week, one of the main political responses to President Obama's "You Didn't Build That" comment was the creation and promotion of the Didn't Build That Tumblr, where visitors can submit their own submission to the "You Didn't Build That" meme.

In the online space, quick hits that these that are shareable and accessible will often prove popular.  While they won't exactly raise the quality of debate, it is proving to be a popular tool in capturing attention. 

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