This is not your grandfather's election nor is it your father's. This is the year 2010, the year of the 1st automated elections or as popular culture would have it, the "E-lections." No longer are the battles being waged out on the streets, the television or the radio, the fight has now moved on to a bigger, badder, meaner medium - the internet.
U.S. President Barack Obama's ingenious use of the internet to help in his campaign which ultimately led to his historic win showed the world just how valuable and viable an avenue the internet is. Locally, the candidates have followed suit hoping to recapture some of that Obama magic. Most, if not all, of the presidential candidates have their own websites as well as accounts or fan pages on several popular sites such as twitter and facebook and there are even those who have enough money to post online ads. There is also an abundance of blogsites which not only give updates on the latest election related information but also provide a message board or comments section allowing people to express and exchange their views and personal takes on certain candidates and engage in heated debates on platforms and current issues - political or otherwise.
The internet, by providing us a quick and convenient medium to exchange our ideas, thoughts and opinions, as far as elections are concerned, has given the power back to the people. It has helped engender a sense of empowerment to the common man by allowing him/her to become his/her own armchair political analyst. Furthermore, the wealth of information available online provides any undecided voter all the material he/she needs to help arrive at an informed decision. Thus, regardless of who is actually proclaimed winner come May 2010, to this blogger's mind, we already have a winner and that is democracy itself.
Entry no.10
U.S. President Barack Obama's ingenious use of the internet to help in his campaign which ultimately led to his historic win showed the world just how valuable and viable an avenue the internet is. Locally, the candidates have followed suit hoping to recapture some of that Obama magic. Most, if not all, of the presidential candidates have their own websites as well as accounts or fan pages on several popular sites such as twitter and facebook and there are even those who have enough money to post online ads. There is also an abundance of blogsites which not only give updates on the latest election related information but also provide a message board or comments section allowing people to express and exchange their views and personal takes on certain candidates and engage in heated debates on platforms and current issues - political or otherwise.
The internet, by providing us a quick and convenient medium to exchange our ideas, thoughts and opinions, as far as elections are concerned, has given the power back to the people. It has helped engender a sense of empowerment to the common man by allowing him/her to become his/her own armchair political analyst. Furthermore, the wealth of information available online provides any undecided voter all the material he/she needs to help arrive at an informed decision. Thus, regardless of who is actually proclaimed winner come May 2010, to this blogger's mind, we already have a winner and that is democracy itself.
Entry no.10
1 comment:
kudos jat! i agree. internet is the ultimate democratic tool in our generation :)
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