Last week President Obama addressed college students discussing the notion that social media is damaging democracy. Obama’s argument states that forms of social media, such as Facebook, blogs, and iPads are a distraction from actively participating in a democracy. Of course there is a sense of irony in this argument as Obama has been widely credited as utilising this form of communication to great effect. Although it cannot be definitively stated that political campaigning via social networking during the 2008 US Presidential elections led to victory, it certainly can be argued that it was one of the larger stepping stones to the Presidency.
Obama’s presence pervaded many of the social networks, from Facebook to the iPhone. The campaign also encouraged people to get involved through these networks. Action could be as small as forwarding on a text message or email received from the campaign. For those more active the networks connected people who could get out there and door knock for Obama. These forums are still active including MyBO (My Barack Obama), which continue to link people to continue participating in their community.
Bearing all this is mind it would certainly appear that social media can facilitate democracy, or at least increase participation in the political process.
In the digital environment we are more connected then ever, and depending on your purpose, whether it to be entertained or informed, I believe that online networking can lead to greater involvement in the political process. It will be very interesting to see how Obama campaigns in the next election. By that time these comments might have conveniently been sidelined!
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