Jordan's+Internet+Users+-+Social+and+Political+Activists

Hey. So for my project I'll be exploring how social and political activists use the internet. I'm still seeking to refine my topic, but I'm interested in examining how politicians use the internet to appeal to their constituents (especially during an election year). I know that in the past Presidential election Barack Obama really appealed to new media to gain support from younger generations, so I plan to examine how it did this and how he continues to communicate his message through the internet during his Presidency. I'll also look at how groups try and gain support on certain issues through this media, such as proponents of Health Care reform and environmental groups. Should be interesting.

2 / 22 Barack Obama - The internet, the President, and the Presidential Campaign

As monumentally historical as the previous presidential election was, one of the most interesting sub plots was how Barack Obama used new media to attempt to interact with a younger audience constituency. Younger generations, my generation specifically, were identified by Obama as a key group that he sought to mobilize in support of his campaign. In the increasingly internet - connected world, Obama rhetorically connected with this generation by interacting with them in common mediums on the web. Obama used his personal web site, as well as social networking sites, to connect with the internet generation and mobilize his supporters. Even today as he holds the office of President, Obama continues to use these tools to communicate with and educate the American public on his policies and actions. This previously unseen approach has so far been effective in engaging Americans in political discourse.

Here are a few example's of Obama's internet connections:

Facebook Fan Page:

This is Obama’s official face book page. He uses this page to explain current happenings with his office. For example a recent entry reads: “ Released new health reform proposal today to bridge the gap between the House and Senate bills. It's time to move forward on reform.” This page has over 7.6 million “fans” (or followers), as well as a discussion board with over 7,000 topics.

YouTube channel:  This account has videos that provide varies messages from the president and clips showing various speeches made by Obama, as well as various other videos promoting political discussion. The most recent videos focus on economic recovery. This channel has been viewed over 22 million times since 2006.

Official Website: www.barackobama.com

Obama’s used this site instrumentally during the campaign to organize his supporters and actively campaign online. He continues to use this site now to gain support for his policy decisions. The emphasis of this website is imploring people to take political action.

3/7/10

So I'll be presenting this Tuesday but here's a preview of the sites I've been looking at and participating in

www.moveon.org

- This site, which has been around since 1998, has been very influential in online political activism. This site has accumulated a large number of members and encouraged their political participation.

www.huffingtonpost.com

- This site, founded in 2005 by Arianna Huffington, is a collection of political news article and posts by contributing bloggers. In addition to providing news, the site provides an outlet for members to interact through commenting on the articles. I have joined the site and have been contributing my thoughts to the comments.