How To Profit From The Presidential Debates, And More!

Oct 4th, 2012 | By Josh Grasmick | Category: Featured, Growth Stocks, Technology

The 2012 presidential debates are underway, and if the last elections were any indication, the internet will play an expanded role in shaping public opinion.

It’s often said that, four years ago, more people voted for American Idol than the presidential elections. While this may be an accurate calculation on the surface, the metrics are somewhat skewed… when you consider, for example, that you don’t have to be a legal 18-year-old adult to vote for American Idol.

However, many of the internet’s tech savvy kids have in fact come of age. More importantly, they’ll be drawn to social media to help shape their reactions.

The last time the mainstream media had a modest recovery was in 2010, when T.V., radio, and magazines got a boost from auto industry advertisements.

The trend of an increasingly-utilized internet to replace information from the traditional media shows no sign of slowing down.
According to MIT’s Technology Review:

According to figures from Nielsen, BarackObama.com had 6.4 million unique visitors in August 2012, reaching 2.9 percent of Americans who were online that month. MittRomney.com had 3.3 million unique visitors during that time, about 1.5 percent of the American population online. On mobile, the figures were similar.

And by one analyst firm’s count, Twitter has 140 million U.S. users, more than 30 million of whom joined in 2012 alone.

Don’t think the traditional mainstream media isn’t aware of this. They are. That’s why YouTube has teamed up with ABC news and Yahoo News to stream the first debate.

In fact, a variety of Web giants are marking their territory at the federal level.

The newfound Internet Association, a lobbying group made up by 14 of the Web’s most powerful giants, including Amazon, AOL, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and others, officially launched roughly two weeks ago.

It’s now operating in Washington, D.C. under president and CEO Michael Beckerman. The companies hope to have their voices heard in Washington, Beckerman says.

“A free and innovative Internet is vital to our nation’s economic growth,” Beckerman said in a statement.

“These companies are all fierce competitors in the market place, but they recognize the Internet needs a unified voice in Washington. They understand the future of the Internet is at stake and that we must work together to protect it.”

The Internet Association expressed focusing its lobbying efforts on three areas while directly meeting with law-makers: “protecting Internet freedom, fostering innovation and economic growth, and empowering users.”

The point is that the established tech companies are here to stay, as they make their way into new markets.

So how do you profit from this trend?

Well, you could invest in the internet.

Yes, that’s big territory… so it’s better to invest in a deal with diversified holdings. Check out this ETF:

The First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (FDN)

It’s a good example of one of the more reliable plays for investors looking to position themselves in the industry’s general growth.

Sincerely,
Josh Grasmick