Politically correct

Why are the youth of today apathetic towards politics? This question has been on the lips of most politicians for the past 5 years. The more pressing underlying issue that they have with this is that what will happen in the future since these apathetic youth are the ones who will lead the nation!

Well, firstly, I'd like to say that although most of the youth today are apathetic towards politics not all are. I suppose a reason as to why the younger generation are apathetic is that most of the issues discussed are irrelevant to their lives. Many of us depend on our parents for our basic needs and we are not too concerned or bothered about the latest health care bill passed or COE prices. When reading the newspapers about political issues, many are not well-informed enough to understand what is happening and might just accept whatever the newspapers give at face value. Ultimately, there is no connection between the politicians and the youth or the politicians do not address issues relevant to them. This gives rise to the following topic on how the Internet has changed the political landscape.

It is undeniable that the Internet is a powerful weapon, the question is, what do we get when we combine this medium with actual ruling power in the world? I suppose the answer has not been defined but there are certainly notable changes occurring. For example, the Internet has revolutionized the campaigning process. Ever since President Obama's win, media theorists and the like have been deconstructing his entire campaign in efforts to figure out how he effectively wielded the Internet as an instrumental tool in his campaign.

The power of the Internet for political campaigning is clearly illustrated in President's Obama rise to power; he went from a small time politician (known only in his area) to the most powerful man (or so they say) on earth! So what exactly about the campaigning process has changed?

• It has allowed the campaigns to target the younger generation who are IT-savvy. As a result, there is a potential for more votes to be given! This includes the use of social networking sites such as Facebook to connect with the youth.


• There is a constant news update and any speeches or statements that the politicians have made is recorded (through blogs or an official website) and ever present for anyone who wants to review it.


• It can raise funds easily. Online donations are made available and the fact that politicians can easily connect with their supporters allows them to solicit donations.


• Low cost! Connection to the Internet today is fast becoming free and it usually does not cost anything to set up a blog account or an account with any other website. (therefore, profits or rather funds also increase substantially.)

However, there are also certain limitations to the use of the Internet though powerful it may seem. For example:

• Not everyone in the country can have access to the Internet due to socioeconomic reasons, hence it is also important for politicians to get out and have social interactions with everyone.


• Another point to note could be that because the Internet today is primarily made up of prosumers (IE. consumers who also produce information), one can easily hack into a website and change the information on it. Thus, official websites and accounts are susceptible to hacking and misinformation.

Nonetheless, the most important thing to remember is that while the Internet is a powerful tool that can secure votes and money, both crucial to the campaign process, it must be emphasized that it should be use in tandem with the traditional methods of campaigning.