President-elect Obama has announced that he will do a regularly scheduled Saturday address in both audio and video form and has chosen Youtube to share this video. The internet, esecially Youtube, was one of the main mediums that helped him to reach the nations younger people during the election. By doing a weekly address I think it will help him to stay connected to his younger supporters. I see this as Obama reaching out to younger people and keeping them informed in a way that no other president has.
Though this is a great idea many are asking why favor Youtube? Is it because of Google CEO Eric Schmidt's very public support of Obama, or maybe because it is because it is the best way to reach people because it services the most video streams a year by far? The artical says that Obama should create his own video sharing service so that he can be neutral in the supports of a video sharing service. I disagree because the idea of having this address is to inform as many people as possible about what is going on in the white house. Youtube is the most popular video resource therefore he will most likely get more veiws on Youtube than anywhere else.
- R. Hudson
2 comments:
I really like what Obama is doing as far as reaching out the the people through technology. It is reminiscent of FDR's fireside chats. Using streaming internet technology, or in FDR's case the radio, to connect with the American people on an easily accessible plane. Whether Obama favors Google's owner or not, Youtube is free to the public, so the people will not lose anything from this possible favoritism.
I agree with you guys - Obama's approach to addressing the United States is both relevant and symbolic.
Statistics show that the average American now spends more time daily on their computer than they do watching television, and YouTube is the most democratic place on the Web. Anybody at all can create or critique whatever they choose. The fact that Barack Obama addresses his people over this medium shows, unless I'm analyzing this too deeply, that he actually views himself as one of us. Sure, he could (and will) communicate to us via national television and/or massive press conferences, but this approach is fresh and new, symbolic of what the 2008 election was all about. We chose young and fresh rather than old and dated, and so far, that is what we are getting.
- Jordan Morsberger
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