How Google Instant Is Influencing Elections

In the world of politics, reputation management is crucial. In order to appeal to as many voters as possible, politicians must protect their reputation, which means minimizing the availability of information that casts them in a negative light while constantly promoting themselves and their political agendas.

Decades ago, long before voters could utilize the web as a tool to gather political information, reputation management was much easier; far less negative information was available to the general public. These days, however, with a seemingly endless supply of easy-to-access information, politicians can only hope that voters are unaware of the mistakes scattered throughout their personal and professional lives. With even just an inkling of a past indiscretion, Internet-savvy voters are able to dig up a wealth of information detrimental to a politician's career.

Now, following the release of Google Instant, it is going to be even harder for politicians to conceal blemishes on their records. Thanks to Google Instant, politicians are finding that many of their questionable actions are becoming increasingly difficult to hide from the public. By suggesting popular search strings relevant to information entered by users, Google Instant is leading many voters to information that will, undoubtedly, influence where their votes go.