Something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime just happened last night. The United States elected its first African American President. The world just changed overnight and all eyes are on America to see what comes next.
I have to say thank God for the DVR or I would have missed this historic event seeing as ground breaking events don’t happen before my bedtime! So, as I watched history in the making at my convenience while I was drinking my coffee this morning, the profound realization of what (and how) I was witnessing hit me like lightning.
First – I am watching history in the making because my husband was kind enough to hit the record button so I didn’t miss anything. GenXers invented “on demand”. So I get to watch history when I feel like it. True to form, that certainly works for me!
Second – The presidential candidates have profiles and communities on all the major social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. I can say that the President of the United States is a part of my network. How insane is that?
Third – I got most of the political news this election on Twitter and from my cell phone. That’s pretty amazing that news can be so quick and mobile. Again, as a hard core GenXer, I love that I can get the information that I want when I want it.
Aside from the fact that an African American is President of the United States for the first time in history, how it happened is part of the reason I am in such awe. Social networking has played a huge part in the election. I truly believe it inspired a whole new generation of voters to get out there and be active, even if it was from their computer or mobile device. Using social networking kept the election in our faces and reached people that are not normally reachable.
Things have changed in how we communicate and how we keep informed. I’m sure this is just the beginning. Personally, I can’t wait to see what comes next.
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The real breakthrough from social networking in this election is how bloggers and other social networking influenced the voter thought process. Most traditional campaigns are driven by messages from the candidate through mass media. Although mass media played a role in this election, Web 2.0 created experts out of average citizens by their willingness to share opinions with others on the Internet.
Jenna you are so RIGHT ON! I, too, was incredibly impressed with how big a role “technology…namely social media” played in this election. It was fascinating to see and I am grateful to have witnessed it myself. Our President Elect is certainly a true “sign” of our “new times” and generation. I’m on pins and needles waiting to see what’s next too. Collectively the world is “waking up” to what’s possible. I’m so happy my girls get to grow up in this era where anything is possible even the top position for ALL men and women too! My 8 year old feels compelled to correct the media that President Obama is not black, he is brown!
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What do you think?