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Facebook perfect platform for campaigns
By Katie Anderson
On September 19, 2012
As we get closer to the elections, political ads and campaigns are dominating the media world. Because
of that, many students are fed up with political campaigns invading every aspect of their lives -
especially their lives online.
Though 145 is a fairly small number compared to most Facebook users, my "Facebook friends" are very
politically diverse, as I'm very quickly finding out. Some are very far left, while others very far right. I
didn't know some of my friends even had a political opinion until I scanned through my newsfeed to find
their contributions.
There's really no escaping this political frenzy. With so many different opinions disclosed in one
newsfeed, ignoring political posts is close to impossible. For this reason, social media seems to be the
favorite place to unleash one's political frustration.
I keep hearing fellow students and friends complain about social media being used to promote their
favorite politicians, and until last week, I was in agreement. The constant flow of posts and tweets
relating to this year's big election was becoming monotonous.
It wasn't until last Friday, however, I realized the great importance of this political explosion over
social media. I was running some errands with a friend of mine when the conversation in the car was
somehow steered toward politics. We talked about different aspects of Obama's past term and things
we'd like to see happen in the future. It was a very relaxed and friendly conversation.
But I was completely floored by her response to my mentioning Mitt Romney.
"Wait, who is that again?" she said.
I thought she was joking at first, but it soon became clear that she really wasn't sure who Romney was.
"I've heard of him, but I don't really know who he is," she said.
After informing her that Romney was a Republican candidate running against Obama this year, I
changed the subject.
How could anyone not know who Romney was at this point? The elections are not only a main focus of
pretty much every major news source, but also a fairly popular topic among college students as well.
People who don't pay attention to the news and generally try to avoid political conversation are slightly
alienated to what's been going on in the political world. Although this political ignorance does seem to
appear more in the lives of younger generations, social media is improving it.
According to an article called "Social Media Powers Youth Participation in Politics" from online website
Science Daily, recent research results show that an increasing amount of young people are becoming
more politically engaged through social media.
These potential voters are not the only people proving to submit to this online political craze. Politicians
are also utilizing social media to promote their campaigns and political positions.
Social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have made it possible to closely follow many
different politicians in both the local and national scales. For this reason, younger generations may feel
better connected to public officials and their viewpoints.
Although the political paranoia on Facebook and Twitter can be irritating, I'm determined to not let
it bother me. It seems to be the most appealing and effective way to keep my generation politically
informed and involved. I would rather try to embrace the varied political tweets and posts of my friends
and family than be forced to endure an entire generation that embraces political ignorance.
Katie Anderson can be reached by email at Anderson.record@live.com.
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