Peer pressure shapes my train of thought. In kindergarten, I learned from the "cool table" that swearing was (goddamn) cool. Now, Facebook friends tell me that politics are hip. Go figure: I believe them.
Uncle Sam's finger has poked me using every medium possible.Photo illustration: Brian Lewis-Jones
One of my Facebook friends even invited me to "Presidential Election 2008." I feel special despite the 1.2 million other users who received the same invite (login required). So far, about 600,000 people have accepted the solicitation, while a solid 400,000 declined. I'm trying to build tension by withholding my response.
Even though major news corporations like ABC have pooled and polled Facebook users like fish in a barrel, this election event was devised by a Drury University Facebook user. And a news group didn't provide me the invitation – rather, the offer came from a friend.
ABC and like-minded news organizations do good by spurring political debate with applications like "US Politics." But the majority of political conversations I see on social networks originate from other users vying for their causes. Political advertisements have switched from dinnertime phone calls to event invites. In its most utilitarian form, the Internet is an accessible platform that allows millions of users with millions of opinions to speak from almost anywhere. News organizations can, however, help distribute user opinions (CNN's YouTube debate, for example).
While 600,000 Facebook users have accepted this particular Facebook invite, the number isn't earth shattering compared to the more than 19 million users who are eligible to vote or the 125 million Americans who voted in 2004. Still, the fact that I can view which friends plan to partake in the presidential fracas could help me determine my own set of convictions.
Leave a comment