This seems like a natural extension for elections as we move into the future. We've already seen how people can tweet protests, why not advertising for elections? After all, TV helped JFK get elected and it only seems natural that as everything becomes very immediate, social media will help determine who wins elections.
I think twitter and youtube have already become a part of elections. Anyone remember Obamagirl? or the CNN youtube user submitted town hall? I think what we're waiting for now, is what new ways candidates and the government will use social media.
I think this is interesting since USAC elections are this week, and a few years ago, they decided to make the elections an online voting process.
I feel like social media is taking voting to the next level for the better. Because so many people are constantly on Twitter and Facebook, by having advertisements on these sites or people publishing statuses about elections, more people will be aware of the situation and probably want to vote on it.
I have to agree with Emily. I am much more prone to check out a webpage really quick to look at a candidate's platform than take the time to seek out and read a flyer. Also, the age of Web 2.0 if forcing many people, including those running for USAC and various other elections to have better, flashier websites, because that is where most people will seek out information about a party.
While i do agree that social media is very useful in getting information out to the general public in our generation, it can also be bad in that it can be a source of inaccurate information that is subject to the biases and ignorance of people that may not fully understand what is going on with both sides. At the same time, however, by using social media, those running can also provide information about their sides in a way that will be easier for people to find.
You can even see the influence social media has during the current USAC elections here at UCLA. It is nearly impossible to not be barraged friend's status updates and invitations to support specific initiatives and campaigns. This is clearly an effective method to increase voter awareness, as people can read information about the candidates and be updated while they also gather their daily news on friends and personal social networks. I think it would be interesting to research how influential your friend's opinion's are to one's actual voting behavior, specifically through online social media networks, to gauge the true impact this has.
This seems like a natural extension for elections as we move into the future. We've already seen how people can tweet protests, why not advertising for elections? After all, TV helped JFK get elected and it only seems natural that as everything becomes very immediate, social media will help determine who wins elections.
ReplyDeleteI think twitter and youtube have already become a part of elections. Anyone remember Obamagirl? or the CNN youtube user submitted town hall? I think what we're waiting for now, is what new ways candidates and the government will use social media.
I think this is interesting since USAC elections are this week, and a few years ago, they decided to make the elections an online voting process.
ReplyDeleteI feel like social media is taking voting to the next level for the better. Because so many people are constantly on Twitter and Facebook, by having advertisements on these sites or people publishing statuses about elections, more people will be aware of the situation and probably want to vote on it.
I have to agree with Emily. I am much more prone to check out a webpage really quick to look at a candidate's platform than take the time to seek out and read a flyer. Also, the age of Web 2.0 if forcing many people, including those running for USAC and various other elections to have better, flashier websites, because that is where most people will seek out information about a party.
ReplyDeleteWhile i do agree that social media is very useful in getting information out to the general public in our generation, it can also be bad in that it can be a source of inaccurate information that is subject to the biases and ignorance of people that may not fully understand what is going on with both sides. At the same time, however, by using social media, those running can also provide information about their sides in a way that will be easier for people to find.
ReplyDeleteYou can even see the influence social media has during the current USAC elections here at UCLA. It is nearly impossible to not be barraged friend's status updates and invitations to support specific initiatives and campaigns. This is clearly an effective method to increase voter awareness, as people can read information about the candidates and be updated while they also gather their daily news on friends and personal social networks. I think it would be interesting to research how influential your friend's opinion's are to one's actual voting behavior, specifically through online social media networks, to gauge the true impact this has.
ReplyDelete