This week Myspace will introduce a political channel called the "Impact Channel" which was created to decrease the level of apathy among college students in America. The channel will focus on the 2008 presidential election; it's a collaboration of links to the candidates' campaigns on the both the Democratic and Republican sides. By clicking on the separate campaign pages, users will be able to read candidate's blogs, view their personal videos and snapshots, add them as friends, and link to other sites that discuss the issues. This idea can bring the candidate closer to the public, which in turn may spark the individual to vote. It can also provide things like a one-click payment function to help candidates solicit campaign contributions. It also gives the individual the ability to register to vote like the "Vote or Die" campaign or the "Rock the Vote."
The political world has realized the power and influence of the blogging/social networks as one the best methods of communication and they have taken this opportunity to enhance their campaigns. This isn't a shock because; Myspace executives predict that the site, founded in 2003, can help candidates influence younger swing voters. The New York Times stated that some 86 percent of its American users are voting age, and even younger users are on campaign coordinators' radar due to the fact that the election is less than two years away and youth that are 16-17 now will be able to vote then. Wes Hevia, a student at Fordham sees this as a positive opportunity, "Youth in America are a huge population of untapped voters and with the MySpace channel this group may be able to learn to use their voice." Other social networks that compete with Myspace are attempting the same task by putting political profiles on their sites; Myspace has taken it a step further and is the closest to establish a clear and strong presence in the 2008 race.
Tom Anderson, a MySpace founder, said, "Myspace has a method of reaching people who are historically not interested in voting" and may not read newspapers or watch news on television. He added: "A MySpace profile could excite their interest in ways they are used to. In the same way they learn about their friends, they could learn about a candidate."
Many candidates have decided to take on the task like the Democratic candidates: Mr. Obama, John Edwards, Joseph R. Biden and Dennis J. Kucinich as have the Republicans Ron Paul and Mr. McCain. The next contenders in line to join My Space are Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rudolph W. Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Myspace is another landscape to be tackled on the part of the political world because the voting turnouts have proven that candidates need to target youth better and in ways that they will be more apt to respond. Something as significant as MySpace might be able to solve the problem of an apathetic America. Not matter what side an individual falls on, people can see if students and youth take the time to read and discover this channel then some form of democracy can be achieved.
2008 Woodie Awards
Be the first to comment on this story