Polotics and the Internet

Shopping, school work, mail, gambling, television it seems that just about everything in life has been in some form been converted into the world of the internet. In the past few years we have even seen a drastic change in political strategies due to the net. Democrats, republicans, left-wing, right-wing, no matter the political affiliation everyone has realized the power of the internet and each group has had its try at harnessing it for political gain.

Both parties are consistently increasing their use of the internet to get their campaign platforms out to a younger demographic and for good reason. A recent study shows that over 40% of American age 18-30 get their political news and information from the internet during this past election, and 24% (Up 11% from the 2004 election) of all Americans get their political news from the internet.

Youtube, twitter, myspace, facebook are all part of most our everyday lives. Political candidates know this and used them as a way to get their ideas and policies to the masses. Pres Obama's Youtube video spots actually generate an unbelievable 14.5 million viewing hours. Directly through the internet Obama also assembled 1.5 million volunteers through mybarrackobama.com. These volunteers assisted him in raising $300 million for his campaign. For the first time in history people could have their candidates "on demand" with the use of Youtube. With just a click and a few keystrokes you could be watching and listening to each parties political views. Some say Obama would not have one without the help of the internet.

Politics is no longer spoon fed to the masses via nightly news. Now anyone can turn on their computer and get a good grasp of what each political opponent stands for. We must be wary of the internet and where we get our news however. The internet is full of people's opinions and ideas. Some ideas are thrown out there only to advance a someones personal agenda. For instance if you were to read a story on huffingtonpost.com or cnn.com you would be inundated with left wing, liberal views and ideology. On the other hand, Drudge Report or Foxnews.com could lead you in the opposite direction. It is important for everyone to read from both sides of the aisle and make their own opinions based on their ideals and beliefs, not from a biased media.

The internet plays a vital role in everything we do, and politics is no exception. In the past years we have seen the internet take its place as the lead news media, as time goes on its grip on the world will only get stonger.