In the article "Making an Impression: New Media in the 2008 Presidential Nomination Campaigns" it signifies how many people in the U.S. are using the web for their source of news and information. It is surprising to see that 79% of adults go online. Another interesting fact is that 73% of the general public go online to read the news.
Nowadays, we see more than ever how new media can really affect the political world around us, not only in our country but in countries all around the world. The internet can be used to raise relief efforts for Japan, start a revolution in Egypt, and even draw attention to the problems occurring in Israel.
The past few days i have been bombarded with facebook status' with reports of events in Israel, such as "In the last 3 days over 70 missiles were fired into Israel. A bomb was strapped to a phone booth at a
These status' really raise awareness to people who are users of facebook. In my case, most of my friends put the status' as noted above on their page. How much attention do you think they raised?? Probably a lot and this just goes to show how we can start using the new media to benefit ourselves and hopefully use it to better our country and world. Do you think that new media has this potential?
A good question. I wonder how much of that kind of status update is just preaching to the converted. Is anyone on the other side of the debate suddenly going to change their minds because of it?
ReplyDeleteI think the statuses have a good point, and I think they do raise awareness. The issue is that most people who post these statuses are "friends" with people similar to them who have similar views. Meaning, Jews are friends with Jews and most of them are pro-Israel and anti these attacks. So while I think it is important to raise awareness and be informed on the inadequate response on behalf of the anti-terrorism community, I don't think they do much in changing the minds of the other side.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wildman. Most "facebook friends" of mine are Jewish. Consequently, all our statuses and posts are quite similar. For those with little knowledge of the current situation in the middle east, I believe it has a huge impact and causes debates to proceed, within the realms of the common belief that we all Jews, may share. I think it is more informative than it is about debating.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a lot of those statuses also, and although I don't think they are going to change anyone's mind, I think they force people who might otherwise ignore those issues to think about them. At the same time, I was very disturbed by the way the photos of the Itamar massacre were spread on facebook - it didn't seem respectful to use those gruesome photos as a status or profile picture.
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