I hate Facebook. I hate YouTube. I think they're both a huge waste of time. But are they the political wave of the future?
Facebook allows candidates to connect with people all over the country who obviously have nothing better to do.Photo: Laurel Kupka
Barack Obama and Ron Paul have the most Facebook and MySpace friends out of all the presidential candidates currently in the race for the White House. Obama also has more than 500 groups at KU alone (my personal favorite group name is "Barack Chalk Jayhawk"). In fact, every candidate has groups for supporters and… non-supporters ("Hillary Clinton Makes My Soul Puke," for example).
It's unclear whether social networking sites and vlogs will translate into actual volunteers, campaign donations or just greater overall awareness; but, at least people are starting to take them seriously. Being fake friends with a candidate is stupid; but, using the information they're providing on those sites to learn more about them isn't. Giuliani campaign staffers are actually assigned to monitor and update his profiles and are producing "behind the scenes" content for his MySpace. Sam Brownback is making his own vlogs. The list goes on.
And the Internet is not just another outlet ruled by the talking heads. It's actually changing the political environment for the better. Every American (well, every American who's online) also has the chance for their voice to be heard. Whether it be the war in Iraq, global warming, abortion, who you're supporting or simply making fun of your least favorite candidate, millions of people could potentially get your opinion if you post it on YouTube. The minority can be heard. More political discussions take place. Politicians are held accountable for their actions. Isn't that what democracy is all about?
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