Politics via the internet. (blog 8)

For this blog post we were told to give our view on the influence of politics on social media sites. From my own personal experience I can't stand seeing people talk politics on Facebook, twitter, etc. My reasoning behind this is simply because people throw their own opinions into anything with out doing any research and even proving that what they say is right. They will simply just start throwing facts at a strong liberal or conservative simply because they support the other party. In some ways social media can help with political understanding, such as if there is a government sponsored twitter or facebook account that is only in existence to provide information to those who do not follow politics or would like to know more about the topics at hand. Other than that I believe that politics should not be on social media sites, it only makes people frustrated and frankly look stupid when they talk with know knowledge.

Liberals vs Republicans (Blog #8)

For this weeks blog we had to read an article about how much people use networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, for political debates and keeping up with politics. 

            In the podcast it was discussed how the upcoming debate and social networking sites can have drastic effects on relationships and the different was to discuss politics on networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Based on personal experience of the speaker, the upcoming presidential election can strain relationships between people based on political beliefs that are discussed through Facebook on the ‘forums’. The guest speaker said that this could cause misunderstandings because a person is not able to explain their opinion thoroughly enough. A good way to keep this from happening is to talk about it face-to-face or through private messaging. This allows both people to come to an understanding with less risk of breaking friendships.

            The article includes the results based on the research on how people use networking sites for. Based on the research they found that liberals are the ones that will most often be involved with the use of politic on networking sites.

            I found an additional article about how in 2001 a large group of Filipinos protested when a corrupt politician was going to be let go without punishment. The people were outraged and used text messages to coordinate thousands of people to protest.  

"The Political Power of Social Media." Foreign Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media>.

Politics in Social Media (Blog #8)

            In today’s world, social media is the newest and biggest thing on the Internet.  Everyone has a Twitter or Facebook, therefore connecting with other people.  This year is the presidential debate and when I get on my Twitter, all I see is people talking about it.  People’s opinions and thought can change in an instant just by what people say about the representatives. 

            Then there are some people that don’t even care about politics and would rather not hear about this topic.  Is there anything they can do?  To an extent there is, but at least one of their friends will be talking about it. According to the article from the Pew Research center, “25% of SNS users say they have become more active in a political issue after discussing it or reading posts about it on the sites” (Rainie 2012).  The numbers have been increasing tremendously over the years. 

            Then when I listened to the podcast, it raises the question whether political discussions belong on social media networking sites.  My answer is how are you going to keep the discussions off those sites.  If I want to post something about politics, who or what is going to stop me.  I did not post anything bad or obscene.  Now to steer people in the direction of taking politics off of a social media network, the only thing I can think of is to create a political social media network.  Have their own site where people can talk about politics and every one can be happy. According to Foreign Affairs, “…social media has become a fact of life for civil society worldwide, involving many actors -- regular citizens, activists, nongovernmental organizations, telecommunications firms, software providers, governments. This raises an obvious question for the U.S. government: How does the ubiquity of social media affect U.S. interests, and how should U.S. policy respond to it?” (Shirky 2011).

            I am not big into politics but do find the topics interesting to listen to.  People are going to continue to discuss politics today, tomorrow, and for years to come.  Social Media Networks play a big part in the way people talk about them.

Rainie, L. (2012) Politics on social networking sites. Pew Research Center. September 4, 2012. From http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_PoliticalLifeonSocialNetworkingSites.pdf

NPR poscast. https://moodle.juniata.edu/pluginfile.php/46896/mod_assignment/intro/npr_politics.mp3

Shirky, C. (2011) The political power of social media. Foreign Affairs. From January 2011. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media

Social Networking vs. Politics

Social Networking and Politics.

There are many ways that we can get involved in social networking.  Whether it be through Twitter, Facebook, or Youtube, more than ever, we are able to voice our opinions and express who we are while reaching a vast audience.  But despite the widespread use of social networking, is it used for voicing political beliefs and more importantly, is social networking an effective way to educate others and actually change their political beliefs?

Personally, I use Facebook, Twitter and Youtube as a way to network. I use them only for purposes of keeping in touch with friends and to let them know what I’ve been up to.  I don’t feel social networks are a good source for voicing political beliefs with the intent to change someone’s mind.  In my opinion, I experience other’s political comments and often times political jokes much as I used to the political cartoons in the newspapers.  People’s political comments can be funny, just like the cartoons, or sometimes they will reveal a bit more about the person that I may not have previously known.  However, as far as paying attention to the political comments as a way to further educate myself, it’s just not the case.

 By listening to the gentleman in the podcast, he inspired me to think that Facebook is  not a platform for voicing political views with the intent of effectively educating someone and changing their minds.  It is a venue for sharing what is going on in your life and the world.  Although, to be honest, I’m sure we all have been tempted to voice our opinions at times, but he suggested it’s better to have a one on one conversation with people if you really want them to hear your opinions and change their minds and beliefs, so safe it for chat (plus, it’s more of a communication). He also mentioned posting a political status is much more of a performance and an instigation and it becomes like a boxing rage. 

 For the most part, my experience, particularly with Facebook, is the most you’ll get in regards to political interactions with others is “liking” or “disliking” what someone posts.  I have rarely seen anyone interacting in such a way that they carry on a debate.

As I mentioned before, most social networking is used for sharing.  It’s not a forum for debating as to what you are sharing is accurate or inaccurate. And that is the beauty of social networking.  You can share whatever you want, and those who want to read your post or follow you on Twitter can, and those who don’t like what you have to say can either choose not to read your posts or delete you as a friend.

I read the article on Pew Internet on “Politics on Social Networking Sites” and their findings revealed that “84% of social network users have posted little or nothing related to politics in their recent status updates, comments, and links”.  And this is during, not just a voting year, but during a very popular and heated presidential campaign.  If social networking was going to be used as a venue for expressing  political beliefs, this would be the year, and it’s just not happening.

 In defense, I can understand why some people believe social networking will “up” their beliefs. I’m sure they look it as an advertisement, especially with Youtube, for the more visual affect. For an example, look at this video from the Obama Campaign.

 There are special forums that people can easily find on line if they want to talk politics.  However, I belief social networking isn’t the place.  I prefer to keep my social networking sites a place to share without worrying someone is going to argue with me on what I just posted.

Political Notifications

            Facebook and politics are a bad idea to begin with. The amount of people arguing over who
should be the next president is befuddling. People use Facebook and twitter just like it was stated in the
podcast, they use it to share their opinion but everyone, some more than most, are very very
opinionated. Because no one can fully understand what you mean through a computer arguments are
heated up and can make some friends loose their friendship. I have had several political conversations
with friends but we make sure that we keep it civil and calm so none of our friendships are ruined.
            In the report that we had to read, it said that the amount of people who actually post political
stuff is relatively small. Less than 10% of the people asked said they post mostly about political
subjects. However in this 2012 election it seems that there has been more about the election on all social
networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Just today I found a video parody of Gangnam
Style called Mitt Romney Style.

          As I go on the internet I keep seeing the same thing, this election is known as, The Social Media
Election. And I agree with that. Ever time i log on to facebook there is either a joke about one of the
candidates or a post about their election. There are even ads on the side for one if not both of them.
In an article about the Social Media Election, they talk about how the Obama campaign is using digital
tools to reach voters at almost four times the rate of the Romney campaign.
         The candidates are trying to get to the percent of the population that does not pay as much attention to politics as others do. I know I've seen more kids my own age pay more attention to this
election because it's everywhere on the internet. It's like you can't get away. 





Essick, Kristi. "2012 - The Social Media Election? - The Network: Cisco's Technology News Site." Cisco Newsroom - The Network: Cisco's Technology News Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://newsroom.cisco.com/feature/1006785/2012-The-Social-Media-Election->.

Politics and Social Networking blog 8

Politics and social networking sites was an interesting topic to write about for this blog. I never put any thought into this topic before now and initially I thought that having politics all over social networks is not a good idea. People can easily make a joke out of it when it is on social networks. Politics is a serious topic and it should be taken that way and not made a joke on some social network. People are on these sites for entertainment and communication not to see what is going on with the presidential debate. I understand that only a small portion of politics is on these sites, so everything is not aired out for people to play with.

            After reading the article and looking through my twitter timeline I’ve seen that having politics on social networks is not completely bad. This is just another approach to get more people to pay attention to what is going on in the world. Seeing the percentage of people that use social networks to see what is going on with politics showed me how much of a role social networks play in the lives of some people. Looking at twitter I see how a lot of people start to make post about the presidential election and politics that I have never heard talk about the topic. It’s frustrating that it takes Facebook and twitter to get the attention of people about some things that are going on in the world. If this is what it takes to get people to acknowledge politics then that’s what needs to be done. People need to be educated about politics and social networks are a way to get more people to pay attention. I am still not completely sold on putting politics on social networks, but like everything else that is but on these social networks people really need to monitor what types of things am being put up.

I just wanted to check my notifications... (Blog #8)

I have mixed feelings about social networking and political debate.  On the one hand, information and updates are constantly at our fingertips.  Don't know what the "binders full of women" comment refers to? Well, head on over to facebook and read all the status updates on it.  Missed the debate?  Go over to youtube.  It's all there. All the time.  And sometimes it can be hysterical.  Social media has an incredible ability to soften the blow when it comes to many circumstances.  Take this youtube video, for example. This series of videos got me through the last election:

The downside of social media and politics? IT'S SO ANNOYING.

The last thing I want all over my newsfeed is people sharing large photos of their political affiliations.  Yes, it's a free country, I totally get that, and you have the right to say whatever you want.  But we all have our own opinions and beliefs, and I don't really need yours shoved in my face.

Even if we believe the same thing.  That's great, we're both Democrats, but it's like taking me into a crowded square and yelling about our personal lives for everyone to hear.  I don't want it, and I don't need it.

Another side is the arguments that come up.  Facebook comments on photos or statuses that are just vile and scathing and offensive, I don't want to see that.  Yes, I am so glad that these arguments are virtual and not physical.  But I don't want to see people saying disgusting things about why my opinion is wrong, or why someone else is stupid for believing in such and such.

I think we just need to cool it.  Keep it confined to certain areas of the internet.  I don't want to see it unless I go looking for it.

Politics and Prejudice (Blog Post #8)

 I have never been interested in politics. However, as I got older I realized that I should try to become more informed about what is happening in our United States Government because I need to have a general understanding of issues that are up for vote. Now that I am above the age of 18, I can vote in the upcoming 2012 election. Throughout the month of October, the presidential debates took place and like the majority of Democrats, I rooted for Obama while booing Romney. As I was watching them, I was checking my Twitter timeline. Most of my followers are supporters of Obama, so it was nice and entertaining to see what people were saying about the debate.

Although I am not sure that many of my followers are political savvy which was interesting to see their commentary on the subjects that the presidential candidates discussed. Thinking about this in regards to the report, “Politics on Social Networking Sites” and the podcast, “All Tech Considered”, understating the information posted on social networking sites becomes critical. With the wide array of knowledge that is attained from Facebook and Twitter, it can become a cesspool of uninformed and overly opinionated users. As one of the interviewees in the podcast stated, “Comment threads are a performance,” (All Tech Considered, NPR News).

Along with the podcast, the report found that, “36% of SNS users say the sites are “very important” or “somewhat important” to them in keeping up with political news,” (Pew Research Center). Granted, this is not the majority of people who use social networking sites. This is still a big number of people and could potentially get bigger as technology advances. As the article, “Politics in the Social Media Age: Insights From Joe Lockhart” points out social media is becoming the first primary source of information. “We're now entering an era where people are informing each other, through the likes of Facebook and Twitter, but we're not quite there yet,” (Kanalley, The Huffington Post).

As we are increasing our interaction through social media, checking our information is will become more important in order to avoid ignorance.  The article highlights these three statements:

“- There is a lot of sharing but there's just as much sharing of ignorance as knowledge”

“- Need a centralized core of journalism to inform people, and we don't have that now”

“- We need more authorities, otherwise people will just go to their friends” (Kanalley, The Huffington Post).

I think that Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites are great for discovering new information and finding out what is happening in the world including with politics. Yet, I do not think that people should not rely on social networking sites for all their news. Yes, there are pages that focus on news but the first interaction that a social networking user will have is with another social networking user. Social media allows for things to move at a quicker pace. “You can see what your friends think immediately, and things happen much quicker; friends talk about it, their friends talk about it, it goes viral, etc,” (Kanalley, The Huffington Post).  The next time that you like a status or re-tweeting a tweet regarding to a politics make sure to follow up and check that topic out on actual news source like the BBC or CNN. Try to find places that strive to be objective and focus on the facts.

Works Citied:

All Tech Considered. NPR News. Podcast. Date Acc. 28 October 2012.

Kanalley, Craig. “Politics in the Social Media Age: Insights From Joe Lockhart.” The Huffington Post. Date Pub. 19 October 2012. Date Acc. 28 October 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-kanalley/politics-social-media-age_b_1989858.html

Rainie, Lee and Smith, Aaron. “Politics on Social Networking Sites” Pew Research Center.  Date Pub. 4 September 2012. Date Acc. 28 October 2012. http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_PoliticalLifeonSocialNetworkingSites.pdf