|
I just posted this at Dkos..
Kinda long.. but..
The Blog-O-Sphere.. Our Greatest Strength, Our Greatest Weakness
These days, the media is full of references to the “blogs” and how they interconnect with the 2004 Presidential election. The main reason being is the rise of the Dean campaigns use of the Internet as both an organizing tool, and a fundraising machine. While John McCain started this last time, Dean has taken it to a new height, and changed the face of how Democratic campaigns run themselves.
I don’t say that lightly, and I said Democratic campaigns for a reason. Republicans don’t seem to have the same connection to the Internet that Democrats do. Whether it’s the rather free flowing way the Internet works that turns them off, or simply they don’t see the need, the Republican party has not embraced the new Internet medium with nearly the same fervor that the Democrats have. To be sure there ARE Republican groups out there, the most notorious being the Free Republic, who have earned themselves the nickname of “Freepers” for there tactics, and long standing arguments with Democratic bastions such as “Democratic Underground” and “DailyKos”
Why does the Blog system work? Its simple, it allows people who while normally might be political in a small local group to become a vocal entity in an ever changing conversation. You can connect with those who may feel exactly the way you do while you may not have anyone local, you have the blogs. This strength in organizing, and discourse can’t be overstated, it’s an amazing thing that hopefully will continue to grow and foster another strong base in the Democratic Party.
However, this medium DOES have its problems, and those problems are becoming more and more evident. There are 2 main issues with blogs, and these 2 problems have the potential to do a lot of harm. What are these problems?
Simply put it boils down to “Internet Anonymity” and pride. The anonymity problem is not a new one, since discussion boards began, there has always been the fact that people, when they are basically anonymous will say things more openly, but also will say things on purpose to make people mad, because there is no repercussions for their actions.
In a political year like 2004, this problem has gotten a fair amount worse with the now near constant fight between the “Deaniacs” and the “Anybody But Dean” crowd. These groups share a common goal, and all in all they share common beliefs, and probably would generally like each other in a face-to-face meeting.
However, with the anonymous factor, these 2 groups spend more time and energy blasting each other than doing much else. And members of both groups ignore their common goals and hopes and fall into the “I won’t vote for your guy” idea, simply because of anger, frustration, and in the case of the extreme few, hate.
The other main problem is Pride. I use this because all in all, the people who participate in these online discussions tend to be well-educated, smart people. They aren’t dumb, and they know it. Unfortunately one of the main side effects of being smart and knowing it is the sense that everyone who doesn’t agree with you is less smart. And this pride causes a lot of friction between supporters of various candidates. There is an underlying “You can’t believe that, you must be an idiot” if some other poster disagrees with someone from another camp.
True, these are generalizations, but spend some time reading the big Democratic boards where you get multiple posters from various camps, and it stares right out at you.
Now, the last question is, how will this all play out in the end? Will the different groups really bury the hatchet, and move on together after the primary season is over? Or will this divide really hamper our party in 2004? It’s a big question, one that in truth we have never had to answer in quite this way. While there has always been rancor between groups, the fact is there has never been this much open connection between opposing camps. Will people forget there harsh words and anger? Or will, those same groups continue to fight each other, for the only reason of pride and hurt feelings. One hopes that they will come together, and realize that the Internet is a tool, not a goal. That political discussion is a great way of discussing ideas, not spouting opinions as facts. And, finally, that there are real possible ramifications in losing your eye on the prize.
We are Democrats
We are united.
We will win in 2004.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
