In a Parade newspaper I found lying on the table during my break at work, the cover showed actor Drew Carey surrounded by gadgets and headlines about how to use technology to manage different parts of your life, for instance, how to meet friends online. The most interesting article, though, was called “You Have the Power” and led the reader through tips on how to influence the political climate and opinions through technology. The advice was pretty old hat: email you Senator! start a blog!; but I did find it interesting that they promoted making your own video or political commercial and posting it through sites such as YouTube. The article stated that a homemade video posted for free could potentially be viewed more times than a paid television ad. Can we say viral? Can we say “Obama Girl”? This is an intriguing concept and something to think about. Will a few videos garner much attention and change minds, soften hardened hearts this presidential election season? Or will the web be flooded with home-videos either mud-slinging or praising candidates? More than that, will it actually change anything? In this day where there is so much content that anyone who believes in anything can find a website that agrees with them, will a Republican sit down to watch a Democratic YouTube debate with the intention of actually reconsidering their stances? Will a left-winger read a right-sing blog and suspend judgment for 200 words? Time will tell. In the meantime, look out for more bikini-clad women lip-synching about their favorite presidential hopeful.
