The 2012 election cycle in the United States is one that will go down in history as a game changing election. At first I was struck by the astounding amount of money being poured into each of the parties respective campaigns.
Literally it will be over a billion dollars combined between the two parties are done, and I think it begs the question of who controls the American Voice?
This money mostly is coming in from donors that only can be referred to as “whales”, with some money coming from the federal government and some from small private donors sending in under 250 dollars as well.
The decision of how to spend this money is decided by people in each campaign, and the message they craft / send out using this money is surgically worded to maximized public opinion shifts. These minute shifts can in the end truly determine the election.
Problem is, Who is Telling the Truth?
In the end what we are fed is exactly that which they wish us to eat. If it is a lie, add some ketchup and if it is the truth, cut it off and toss it to the dogs as gristle. Yet somehow we Americans are expected to make a choice in terms of whom we think would be a better leader based on only these carefully crafted messages.
Add to this the fact that news cycles are more determined by how to improve ratings, than by concern over what affects Americans and we are no longer able to determine what is right, wrong, or otherwise.
Enter the Blog
I would normally lose all hope, but instead like with many challenges I now turn to the Internet. The Internet opens a whole new meaning to the 24 hour news cycle. Because of social media growth like Facebook and Twitter, normal everyday Americans are now as much a part of the news and shaping message as are commercial the news department.
Everyday users can post and distribute any idea they want, and often faster and more honest than the news themselves. While this amplifies the American Voice, it also can at times seem like cacophony of text and it is easy for larger broader messages to get lost.
Social Media is perhaps the easiest of ways to get that voice out, but blogs are the more surgical and potentially more powerful voice on the internet.
If this is so Powerful, Why Doesn’t Everyone Do it?
A good question to be sure and one that can be answered by looking at sites like FamousBloggers.net. The truth is that blogging does require a little more discipline than using Facebook or Twitter.
Additionally attracting attention to the blog requires a level of commitment most people are not interested in pursuing, at least as far as politics are involved. However those that wish to have a voice can often find a place for it on blogs that others produce, much like the one this post is on now.
Visit us at Politcsofus.com
Politicsofus.com is a blog for this specific purpose. It is not alone, there are hundreds like it. The premise is that from this type of launching point, we as everyday Americans can express freely our voice as it pertains to our politics and lives. By carefully growing viewership and participation some of these blogs have become as powerful a political voice as perhaps even the super PACs of today.
Regardless, the Internet, blogs, and social media are here to stay. Campaigns can no longer discount them, and in fact will be forced to embrace them more and more over traditional media advertisement to reach ALL of the American voters. With the cost and ease of getting your message online in the form of a blog, it is possible by the next election cycle the individual American will be as effective as a corporation in influencing the populace.
What do you think?
image credit: youth voice