Look through the social netwoking system created by Barack Obama. What for, from your point of view, were these social sites launched?
Barack Obama’s Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/barackobama
Barack Obama’s blog
my.barackobama.com/page/community/group/ObamaHQ
Barack Obama’s site
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Well, all these sites tell us that the next step after TV, radio, newspapers, internet official sites is social sites on the internet. Firstly, nowadays social sites are the most popular according to surveys, which means that people devote their attention to this area on the internet. The page of Barack Obama on Facebook is full of news, events, congratulations, and so on. It seems like he became closer to the internet life of people. Plus this, of course, it’s quite interesting to have the president of the United States among your friends on Facebook. This is the official page of the president, where I think a lot of people from his media group work on answering the questions from people. On Russian site vkontakte for example there are a lot of fake pages of Dmitry Medvedev. This is just a joke, of course we have an official site of the president with the blog, but people do not want to spend their time in search of the page, and it is difficult to understand how it works. The social site is more simple and closer to the people. This area of the internet is more sociable. On the blog you can find out about the future speeches of the president and where and when you can watch them. It is thought that the media team of Barack Obama is very strong, and in my opinion this is a very good move. Probably, from the direction of people who are not involved in the political life of the country this is a step forward. And finally, this is a new news event- “ Barack Obama on Facebook” as a some kind of promotion.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. Although Barack Obama isn't the first to use social networking in a bid for the presidency ( Howard Dean used Meetup.com in 2004), but he was the first to use Web 2.0 to the best advantage during his election campaign. Now his social network My.BarackObama.Com allows Americans to create their own profile complete with a customized description, friends list and personal blog. They can also join groups, participate in fund raising, and arrange events all from an interface that is both easy-to-use and familiar to any Facebook or MySpace user. In other words, now Americans have got their voice in politics.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the sites were launched as tools for wider outreach. Blogging is becoming the ultimate form of journalism; social networks obviously are connecting people from all are the world. One needs to keep up with the time, new methods and new technology. Therefore, “conquering” the World Wide Web is an important step for a political leader, a new objective for teams of people working on attracting the electorate (which, by the way, is not getting any easier with already a low voter turnout and a complicated voter-registration procedures).
ReplyDeleteSo one is challenged to exercise new outreach tools. Therefore launching these sites has been beneficial for a variety of reasons:
1) Social networks are a new way of bringing a political leader closer to people. Interaction and communication take up a more personal level. Obama’s facebook account is a excellent for popularizing the image of nation’s leader. Definitely teams of people are processing user comments, requests, posts etc for the account, but it is still a very appealing idea to “befriend” the President. Although technically Obama’s page on facebook is a fan page, not a user account.
Such types of outreach shorten the inevitable distance between the government and the people, make social hierarchy less rigid. This is what makes the interaction more “horizontal”(personal), rather than vertical (hierarchical). Photo comments on facebook, user comments on MySpace look really cute J. But they also show the popularity of the sites and genuine interest of the people. The ever-increasing number of discussion posts and comments provide evidence here. As of today, there are 6515 discussions generated by various facebook users, were the number of posts in some of them sometimes exceeds 25 000.
2) Uniting people in order to solidify prospective electorate is another problem solved by launching the sites. The process of shortening social distances works both vertically (the government <-> the people: see above) and horizontally: people themselves are being brought closer together through these types of networking. This is crucial, since the electorate is never homogeneous in terms income, education, background, political preferences etc. Social networks and blogs transcend these boundaries: they are being used extensively by millions of people regardless of the above-mentioned factors. So all people have the equal opportunity to share thoughts.
3) Blogging and social networking are great ways to communicate news to your supporters (prospective electorate) and get fast feedback.
Moreover, it is also a way to manifest the responsiveness of the government, a major advantage for creating a positive image of those in power.
I believe that these sites were launched for attract people to the personality of the candidate. Masha is absolutely right- Internet is a new step. Before Barack Obama, candidates were quite faceless and very far from ordinary people. Tht is why the electorate often does not believe candidates - they seem too 'dead'. people usually think that many image-makers create looks of the candidate, he or she is often told what to say and what to do. So, people don't even seem to trust political campaigns.
ReplyDeleteAnd let's look, for example, at Obama's facebook. He ssems very close to ordinary people. he has a wife, and and dog. Just like you. And me. And that guy from Boston.
Also social network is a perfect way to get information. Anytime, you can enter Obama's site and examine everything you want to. Are you interested in Obama's attitude towards nuclear weapons? Or abortion? You are welcome - just click and look. There can't be lack of information - social networks really help you to know what exactly you vote for.
Third, social networks is a tool to collect donations. Admire Barack? Click "donate" and help his campaign. Quite easy.
And the last but not the least, blogs create a positive image of the candidate. On the Net you can be whoever you want to be and you is absolutely free to show the good sides of your character. blogging brings new voters and provides quick response to your activities.
Thank you girls for your comments. To sum up, blogging in politics is used to be closer to common people and keep them informed, to socialise, to raise money, to unite electorate. Anything else? Have we missed anything?
ReplyDelete