2008 Woodie Awards
The YouTube politics
Technology changes the way we vote
by Matthew Jackson
Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: Connections
New technology is always changing the way we do things. One of the more prominent of these changes is coming in the form of the YouTube debates. In the past, TV and radio have been the main channel through which most people have received their information about the political candidates of any given year. When the Internet came on the scene, it created an entirely new venue for candidates to speak to people. Many candidates now create MySpace pages and Facebook groups.
But one phenomenon that is more recent is the YouTube debates. YouTube is something that almost all younger people use and check regularly. Interestingly enough, most young people wouldn't take the time to sit down and watch an actual debate on TV. But they will take part in the YouTube debates.
I think one major reason for this has to do with the time involved. It could take multiple hours to watch an entire TV debate. A YouTube video, on the other hand, usually lasts less than 10 minutes. With the busy lives that most people live today, the less time that's required to do something, the more likely it is it will be squeezed into a person's schedule.
Another thing that the YouTube debates offer is interactivity. You can just watch a TV debate, and that's it, or debate with your friends and acquaintances. A YouTube debate is so much different. You can actually respond on the international and immediate level to anything posted on YouTube.
One thing that has come out of that ability is the creation of videos such as I have a crush on Obama and I have a crush on Hillary.
YouTube allows voters to get involved and interact with their peers and candidates in a way never realized until now.
Cale Padgett, a junior at Piedmont voted on Super Tuesday and says, "People who let themselves be influenced politically by Youtube are idiots and shouldnt vote."
But one phenomenon that is more recent is the YouTube debates. YouTube is something that almost all younger people use and check regularly. Interestingly enough, most young people wouldn't take the time to sit down and watch an actual debate on TV. But they will take part in the YouTube debates.
I think one major reason for this has to do with the time involved. It could take multiple hours to watch an entire TV debate. A YouTube video, on the other hand, usually lasts less than 10 minutes. With the busy lives that most people live today, the less time that's required to do something, the more likely it is it will be squeezed into a person's schedule.
Another thing that the YouTube debates offer is interactivity. You can just watch a TV debate, and that's it, or debate with your friends and acquaintances. A YouTube debate is so much different. You can actually respond on the international and immediate level to anything posted on YouTube.
One thing that has come out of that ability is the creation of videos such as I have a crush on Obama and I have a crush on Hillary.
YouTube allows voters to get involved and interact with their peers and candidates in a way never realized until now.
Cale Padgett, a junior at Piedmont voted on Super Tuesday and says, "People who let themselves be influenced politically by Youtube are idiots and shouldnt vote."
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