Politics has always been a subject that I try to avoid and would rather not get involved in. I choose not to know what is going on in my country when it comes to politics, let alone the politics that is going on in other countries. But from time to time, as I am surfing the net, I will come across pictures of a young, handsome, black man whom I have learned to like. His name is Barack Obama and he is the current president of the United States.
How is it that even though I live hundreds and hundreds of miles away from the United States, people like me, who don’t really care much about politics can still come to know of Obama? I admit it, the only time I watch television is when my favourite TV series is on. Or when they’re playing reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Other than that, I hate watching the news and I’m never bothered to read the newspapers. So how did Obama become such a celebrity amongst young people like me?
Perhaps, we can say that this is because politicians have been utilizing the many types of new and social media as part of their campaign. When utilized effectively, YouTube can be a great benefit for politicians. Obama has successfully done this and gained many votes especially with the under -30-years-of age voter – in the primaries and the general election- and this was precisely the group that did not go to the polls in numbers needed by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 (Levinson, P. 2009) and the group that most watched ‘Obama Girl’ on their computer screens in 2007.
Whether this video alone has made the impact on the elections in 2007, we will never know. But what we do know is that, this video has made others look at Obama as a cool, interesting and attractive person.
While there is no doubt that YouTube has evolved as a tool for politicians for political gain, it appears that some of the produsage on YouTube can in fact, endanger political figures most of the time.
This clip has been disabled by request but you may click on this link to watch it-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXVIwo5fLYs&feature=related
What Tina Fey has done here, is simply made fun of Sarah Palin for the entertainment of other viewers. It may not be as offensive as some of the other clips we may find on YouTube, particularly ones that has been prodused by amateurs, to intentionally corrupt their reputation. Some of them may be a little way too much!
So although this clip may not be as abusive as the ones I have mentioned before, still, Tina Fey’s jokes has done just about enough damage to Sarah Palin, and she may never be taken seriously as a politician again.
The clips we find on Youtube are much more permanent than anything we watch on television. TV can replay parts or all of any programming but such replays are not accessible 24 hours a day, from most places in the world. (Levinson, P. 2009)
The good thing about YouTube is that it is not just a representation of anything. The government does not control the videos broadcasted on YouTube. Therefore, what we may find on YouTube, no matter how brutal, embarrassing, or unmannerly it is for the politicians, can hold more truth than any news reporting we find on the television. This is why we can say that social media can hold many risks for political parties.
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