Politics and Social Media...too add more stress on everyones plate...

Politics: Have you become more engaged in politics due to exposure to social media? How do social media sites effectively (or ineffectively) communicate with potential voters? Does the design of social media political marketing differ from traditional media marketing? What makes an effective social media campaign?  


   Being in College, I am frequently introduced by politics for education being one of the most HIGHLY controversial issues that there is. So therefore, I have become much more involved with politics than ever before, not to say I am going to jump on my political party's bandwagon, but I have become a lot more aware of what is going on in this country...well as much as us citizens are allowed to know that is. 
   A big reason, well more like the only reason, I have become more politically educated because of my school, and   mainly because of social media. All the videos and articles that are posted from my fellow followers and friends are what get my attention, for like most people my age, I am not the "watch the news every night at 5" kind of young adult. So social media is where I get my information. People are not connected to the news updates as they are with Facebook and Twitter (unless they have the NY Time New News app like me:p). Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google+ and ALL the other social media sites are the new age way of showing the citizens what a politician is doing, and the only way they can comment their opinions within seconds of being posted. One YouTube video (example: KONY2012) can become a HIT over night if it sends a strong enough message. 
   Triggering your viewers and followers through media differs from the traditional way of marketing for a lot of people just don't have the time for the traditional way, of course some people do but speaking from my perspective and I am embarrassed to say, I'm not going to flip on the news or pick up a newspaper before I log onto Facebook, sorry world but this is how a majority of the world is. Triggering to the population of your campaign is most effective by doing it in a way the new age is familiar with, technology. This is a new world with different people, and it's time to move from the past and take charge of OUR future how WE are going to be effected by it. Looks like the "traditional" way of approaching politics is slowly dying out. 

The Not-So-Pretty aspects of Activism through the Media

Especially in recent times you really see the power of social media being taking advantage of for the use of good, well mostly. People are smart enough to know that in this generation how you reach people to hear your voice isn’t through commercials, ads in the paper and definitely now by passing out pamphlets. A recent example of activism through the media was KONY 2012, a recent attempt at mass activism that I am sure we are all aware with now. For me, when I had watched the video my heart sank and I immediately wanted to “jump on the bandwagon and help” JUST by watching that video, and by the results of it many people were in the same boat I was. Unfortunately things like this are hard to justify the good power of it. Are ALL donations given to the cause? Are they telling us the REAL and COMPLETE story? Those questions can only be found by researching the cause, which in reality most people will not take the time and do. This is why many things like KONY2012 really cause hoopla just for a moment…then eventually begin to fade. Just look at all the controversies about the KONY 2012 campaign that are leaking out into the public, people are questioning the cause, the creator had to be hospitalized for being detained, and the people in Uganda didn’t agree with the video, the very people whom they were trying to reach.

         Although there is much controversies in many activism through the media, it is important. With anything, when an attempt to do good by the mass public becomes astray, there will be people trying to nit-pick every last detail, but I truly believe that by activating through mass media is the only way to get your voice heard. Make it interesting and make it LOUD. People will listen. 

Journal 4. Crowdsourcing? KONY2012

     When reading some articles and watching some videos about crowdsourcing it really had me thinking about all the benefits it has to people who have been majorly tackled by our nations poor economy. As crowdsourcing is on the rise, it is a great opportunity for individuals struggling to get their feet back on the ground, if internet issues is their game. I often mention in my blog many different sources of crowdsourcing before i even had a grasp on what crowdsourcing even was. Sites such as Wikipedea, Facebook, and I recently just learned about iStockphoto which I had researched a little more. I have a friend who is this amazing photographer who really uses a variety of different social media sites to get his work known by the public, (check him out he's GREAT taylormccutchan.com) and since iStockphoto was a photograph site i asked him about it. He said something that really made me think. He said it's not much of a sharing site, but a way to make a living. It was difficult for me to fathom that someone could make a LIVING off of one of these sites. 
      Although making a living off of something of the internet seems just dandy, doing that is extremely difficult. Getting your photos, blogs, or sites noticed by the mass media is HARD, you're collection has to be pretty impressive for it to impact people enough to share your work. If you were to truly believe that your work was worth sharing to the world, I feel like you should stop at nothing. People are connected to the internet...so why not share your work through every possible social media site? If it's good, you will be noticed.
     Another thing I would like my readers to take ahold of is KONY2012. This is the PERFECT example of using crowdsourcing as a way to GET YOUR VOICE HEARD. The men and women who put this together are examples of people using the popular demand of social media to get a very important message across to America. Take a look, your thoughts on how powerful social media will change. 

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/videos