Pick Your Vote

            Impressions are key. Everyone knows that. But the people who should really take this into account are politicians. And in these recent presidential debates, the final impressions of the Republican and Democratic parties will most certainly determine the fate of the next four years of our nation.

            As a teenager somewhat isolated from the world of politics, I often get stereotypes of politicians through comical interpretations that spread through the web and media. In a recent discussion in class, a student mentioned B96 radio posing the question of who Jim Lehrer, the moderator of the first presidential debate, had more control over: Obama, Romney, or his own bladder. Years down the road, do you think more people will remember the 5-point plan Romney laid out or the fact that he likes Big Bird? When I look back at the 2008 election, the first thing that comes to mind is Sarah Palin claiming that she could see Russia from her backyard. These aren't unique incidents; ever since the spread of social media into mass culture, our views are increasingly becoming defined by the perspectives of others.

           Contrary to popular belief, not all social media portrayals of the candidates highlight their weak suits. Candidates who manipulate the web find that it works to their advantage. As an active follower of both candidates’ Facebook pages, I'd say that Obama has achieved more successful results in social media marketing. Obama's page is loaded with things like pictures of his thousands of fans or his family, pledges to stop texting and driving, inspirational quotes, you name it. Obama's followers like, share, and comment on these photos, generating web traffic and spreading his audience. A quick scan of the page leads to his TV campaign ad. Watch it for yourself and witness the power of media.

On the other hand, as I was looking through some of the comments people posted on Romney’s page, I found a link to RomneyMakes.com, a website to essentially calculate how much Mitt Romney makes in the same time you perform daily tasks. According to this site, Mitt Romney makes $346.90 while he clips his toenails. This is probably the harmless consequence of some programmer with too much time on his hands and a clear aversion to the Republican candidate, yet it clearly shows how individual people can start ripple effects through social media. Even though it's clearly not true, my first thought was, “Wow, look at Romney, he must be spoiled and out of touch with the American people." Yet, if Romney is so skilled at managing money (he organized the 2002 Winter Olympics and managed a multi-billion dollar corporation), wouldn't he be more qualified to fix our economy? Social media leaves a first impression that blinds our judgments.  Romney’s platform is advocating for the middle class; unfortunately for him, social media is hazing out his views. What are some other media images or posts that have affected your view of the politicians?

Kony 2012: Is it a sham?

             A man by the name of Joseph Kony, the leader of a group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has conducted thousands of crimes against humanity. Still, for over 10 years, his brutal actions went largely unnoticed by the American media. That is, until a grassroots organization called Invisible Children brought the tyrant the infamy he deserved.  How? Through one, single YouTube video. That, my friends, represents a new age of social activism.

          
            Watch & share. That’s all that the young group of motivated, passionate teenagers asked for. And it worked. “You can lead or you can follow, but eventually everyone will have to MOVE,” says the team. Thousands of shares, e-mails, photos, and #stopkony tweets barraged the Internet. Within a month, the 30-minute informative video titled Kony 2012 became arguably the most viral video EVER. I encourage you to see the video for yourself, and comment below if you feel it impacts you.

            Yet, with great power comes great responsibility. After persuading thousands of willing people to donate or contribute to the cause of Invisible Children in Central Africa, Jason Russell, creative director of the Kony 2012 video, went on a psychotic meltdown. Disappearing from his home, he was later discovered running naked in public. He confessed to Oprah that the extreme media pressure had “broken” him. And just as quickly as Invisible Children’s reputation was built, it was degraded by thousands of enraged citizens posting negative remarks about Russell and the humanitarian organization being a sham. Now the team of young adults is forced to focus their efforts on explaining Russell’s actions and appeasing the public. But in all honesty, do you really think that one foolish act should discredit something as genuine and powerful as Invisible Children? The curse of social media is that it’s used as a vehicle to attract attention. And it’s easier to rally people around criticism, creating mass potential for harm.

            Still, the crew chose not to give up. Now Invisible Children claims to be days away from catching the warlord. With radio towers and surveillance infrastructure set up throughout Central Africa, they’ve guided countless villagers to safety and have identified the LRA’s current position. They have already received support from the EU, AU, and UN. In fact, Obama signed the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act a few years ago. On November 17^th Invisible Children is inviting people across the world to assemble in Washington, D.C. to press the White House and federal officials to capture Kony. It might be a little too optimistic to claim that after years of struggle, THIS is the year that Kony and the LRA will be brought down. Nevertheless, their initial goal of raising awareness for the crisis has been far surpassed, and they owe a big thank you to our friends YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

           

Let me introduce you to... the world

I AM a 21^st century child. I was raised on the brink of the new millennium, the prime of a new era in which communication and interaction between millions of people across the world became the norm. Having lived in multiple states and having travelled to over fifteen different countries, I’ve accumulated tastes of almost every culture. Even in the metropolitan atmosphere of my home city, Chicago, it is not uncommon to find an authentic Mexican restaurant side-by-side a Korean karaoke bar.

I grew up not knowing what was going to reinvent the world in the next month or the month after that. Technology has always fascinated me, ever since the days of the Gameboy Color and iPod Nano. But more than late night entertainment, technology has transformed into a medium for communication between societies. Have you ever stopped to wonder why “LOL” is the internationally recognized abbreviation for “laughing out loud”, and not “lost our luggage”?

To be an active participant in world affairs, it almost goes without saying one needs to be connected to social media. Social media diverged from simply being optional. Facebook has roughly three times as many users as people living in the United States! That’s a whopping 955 million subscribers to the mindless collection of images and posts by friends, or strangers we dare call our “friends”.

In fact, businesses are devoting entire departments to social media marketing, and those of us savvy enough in the field gain that extra edge. Even my homecoming groups and fantasy leagues utilize Facebook as a forum for discussion and planning events.

Some question social media’s invasion of privacy, and I concede their points. It’s a little unsettling to think that those superficial acquaintances I glance at in the hallways probably know the last concert I went to or what I ate for breakfast, thanks to our good old friend the World Wide Web. Sure, there have been sporadic instances of deactivations of Facebook and Twitter accounts, futile attempts to revert to old ways. Yet, in some ways, social media is that old friend that never leaves you alone. It’s an addiction. A powerful addiction, one that affects everyone around you. Once you feel connected, you feel like you’re in. And once you’re in, there’s no getting out.

Despite all the stigmas, the resulting high-speed communication has left positive influences on the world. It’s better for health, better for technology, and better for communicating with friends and family. It has created a sense of democracy in the marketplace of ideas, allowing average citizens to find things that make them happy, but also things that make them tick. What sticks with you?