Online Social Networking and Politics Essay -- Facebook, Twitter, Pint

Introduction The internet is one of the most dynamic inventions in the history of mankind. It spreads knowledge and allows for rapid communication amongst untold numbers of people on a scale previously unimaginable. It has revolutionized countless aspects of the modern world, ranging from its effects on business practices and the economy to creating new forms of leisure activities and educational content. The multitude of ways the internet has affected the modern world is truly astonishing. Online social networking is a relatively recent phenomenon of the internet. Online social networks have permeated their ways into millions of peoples’ lives. People create digital identities of themselves, updating and maintaining their online profiles, allowing users to more easily keep in touch with family, friends, and the world around them. Groups and micro-societies are formed when users rally behind a common interest, activity, or goal. This user-managed method of organizing people and information has quickly found its way into varying aspects of our culture. One important area in which the internet and online social networks have found their way is American politics, and they are changing it like it has never been changed before. Howard Dean The rise and fall of former Vermont governor Howard Dean in the 2004 presidential campaign marked the beginning of a new era in American politics. Dean was a game changer. He was the first candidate to utilize the power of the internet and online social networks for campaigning purposes, without which he would have not risen to (at one point) be considered a front-runner for the Democratic ticket. As his campaign manager Joe Trippi notes, the Dean campaign started out small in both the num... ... Vargas, Jose Antonio. 20 November 2008. â€Å"Obama Raised Half a Billion Online.† The Washington Post. sec. Politics http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/11/20/obama_raised_half_a_billion_on.html Walsh, Kenneth T. 17 January 2008. â€Å"The Battle Cry That Backfired on Howard ‘The Scream’ Dean.† U.S. News & World Report http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/politics/2008/01/17/the-battle-cry-that-backfired.html Wilgoren, Jodi and Jim Rutenberg. 1 February 2004. â€Å"Missteps Pulled A Surging Dean Back to Earth.† The New York Times sec. 1 p. 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/01/us/2004-campaign-former-governor-missteps-pulled-surging-dean-back-earth.html?pagewanted=1 Willard, Terri. March 2009. "Social Networking and Governance for Sustainable Development." International Institute for Sustainable Development. http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2009/social_net_gov.pdf