Emotions can play a large role in voting patterns for a candidate. This article explored the effect of an emotional candidate on a potential supporter. A study was done where the shown an emotional appeal by a fake candidate before viewing that candidates platform. One group saw an angry candidate, another had an anxious one, and another had a hopeful one, then the groups were asked if they would particpate in that candidates campaign through online (contributing money, starting a group to support him on social media, posting comments, etc.) and offline (voting for him, putting up a yard sign, putting on a bumper sticker, etc.). The study found that emotions did gather more support, but only in people that were already educated and politically-engaged people. My artifact relates to the power of an emoting candidate. In the 2008 election, McCain was perceived as an angry old man, while Obama was seen as fresh and hopeful. This difference helped Obama win the election.
This topic relates to the concept of interactivity, as the emotions play a role in how we interact with a candidate. This topic is relevant still because of the same - these interactions help shape current politics.