Take Twitter for example. Many politicians are now becoming involved in this social network to tweet about current issues. These are just a few accounts that I looked for and found. All of which are run by a combination of the individual and his or her staff.
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Governmental institutions and officials are becoming extremely savvy in their use of technology. Or at least the people who work for them are.
And in this digital era of information where knowledge is quickly attained and shared, it is no wonder. Politicians need to be on the cutting edge or they may find themselves left in the dust.
The ability to share information in seconds and have it be available practically anywhere at any given moment is part of an idea called the global village, an idea popularized by Marshall McLuhan. This had led to almost constant scrutiny of government (and countries) by others to see what they are doing and how they are doing it. However, it also creates a lot of distraction and can muddle real issues.
Just go to the New York Times international news page. You will be instantly inundated with information and stories from every imaginable country around the globe. We know so much about the world around us, whether or not we have been to the places we are talking about or not. I was watching this little clip, yes it is old, but I still thought it explained the idea well.
But the availability of information and the use of new means to spread it leaves much to be desired when it comes to the credibility of the information. And what if sources want to be anonymous? There have been plenty of times when this is the case and either the public or the government demand to know where the information is coming from. Recently in my mass communication class we were talking about the reports of weapons of mass destruction by the press and the government. It is a perfect example of how information can be changed or exaggerated to help goad the audience into thinking in a particular way. If you are wondering what I am talking about please click here to learn more.
The media and the government are in a constant battle to stay one step ahead of the other. This may be good, maybe the two keeping one another on their toes is the only way to ensure that we get any true representation of what is going on.
I was doing a little research and I found that there are websites where people can go to learn "whistleblowing" and how to keep the government more accountable.
However, it may be up to us to keep the media accountable. So don't just be a consumer. Be a thinker. Be an analyzer. Learn to be a media critic as well as a political one so that you can be as informed as possible and be a part of the exciting technological age we are in today.
I find this topic interesting because I remember during the last Presidential Election in 2008, a lot of people were talking about how Obama was really making use of the social media to get his advertising out there. Not all the candidates were focusing as much on these methods as he was, and I think that is why he got such a great voter turnout among the young people. The younger generations are the one who need to be mobilized to vote, and with social media, such as Twitter, it is becoming easier to do so.
ReplyDelete- Carly Grieff
I also focused on on how the government and its officials have become more technologically savvy. In order for them to have a more effective campaign and results in a race, they need to reach out to as many audiences as possible. It is also a great way for the viewers to function as a watchdog for the government and keep them on track. On my media sites, I follow political candidates and other officials and enjoy feeling like they are reaching out to me, an individual, rather than a mass audience.
ReplyDelete~Taylor Smelt
I don't know if I agree if it is a good thing that the government and media "are in a constant battle to stay ahead of one another." If there is one thing we have learned about competitions, it is that people will go to great lengths to ensure that they win. I think the media's perspective should be more about representing the people, and less about beating the government. While it is true the watchdog function of the media causes it to constantly criticize the government, I don't think it is healthy to consider them competing entities.
ReplyDelete-Matthew Morris