BY CAMERON STEPHENS
Over the last hundred years, the political landscape has changed dramatically. In 1922, President Warren G. Harding became the first president to have his voice transmitted by radio. For the first time ever, the American people were able to hear their president in their homes. In 1947, President Harry Truman became the first president to televise a presidential address from the White House.
Today, people more than ever have access to the resources they need to research political candidates and issues. The FCC reports that 74.5% of households have Internet access (Source: USA Today). Because of this, presidential candidates are able to reach prospective voters in more creative, diverse ways.
The 2008 presidential election, otherwise known as “The Facebook Election” marked the first time that a social media platform was used by candidates to promote their campaign. It wasn’t just the candidates who were using social media. Millions of Americans made their voices heard, posting their own political opinions on issues and candidates. Now, social media has developed into a prime stage for American citizens to voice their opinions.
Senior Joe Veeneman, especially over the last several months, has found himself using social media as a way to share his views with others. “It’s less of me sharing my views and more of me trying to get people to see both sides of the argument,” says Veeneman.
The most recent presidential election has resulted in mediums such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram blowing up with political conversation.
“I think that this election was the first one to really be impacted by social media”, says Veeneman. “News, good or bad, spreads so quickly now. A lot of people believe what they read and often times you need to dig deeper to find out what’s really true,”.
When it comes to voicing his opinion on Twitter or Facebook, Senior Ben Phelan tries to stay away from doing so. “I try not to, but sometimes emotion overcomes reason and I will comment back to someone’s (political) post,” says Phelan. “I know not everyone wants to hear my opinion because it might clash with their own, which is why I try not to post.”
Ben Phelan thinks that Social media has developed into an effective way for students and others to convey their thoughts and ideas. “I do think that it is an effective way for people to convey their opinion; for example Trump excelled at tweeting because he did such a good job of firing his supporters up with short statements,” says Phelan.
“People should be able to voice their opinions in any way they want and social media is a great platform for doing that,” said Phelan.
Senior Joe Molski often finds himself perusing Internet articles on news sites. “The Huffington post is a good one; I find their unbiased take on the issues refreshing,” says Molski. “Twitter is pretty good for following the actual politician and staying connected.”
Molski doesn’t use social media to get his argument across; often just opting to read through what others are saying. However, he doesn’t think that social media is an appropriate place for people to vent about their political opinions.
“People need to find another outlet,” says Molski.