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Hey guys, guess what? It’s cool to be involved in the political process!

 

While many average young people in America look at politics as something that rich older people do, something that has very little to do with themselves, I have to say, I was very impressed by the number of younger people who not only got out and voted yesterday, but they did so with PASSION! On Twitter, I saw tweets from kids who are not yet even old enough to vote yet expressing their excitement and relief about the election results last night. On the other hand, a few people here and there were complaining about political tweets clogging up their timelines. But isn’t it actually great to live in a country where everybody cares and wants to be involved?

 

I can’t help but wonder if this upswing in political awareness has to do with social media and, by extension, the constant exposure to celebrities and their own political beliefs. Let’s face it – if Justin Bieber endorses a candidate on Twitter, how many Beliebers will be taking up his cause as a result? Other high-profile stars with large social media presences, like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and even good ol’ Donald Trump have this massive platform from which they can share their political beliefs, and they have a wide audience willing to listen. Our own editor Katie Marzullo tells me that she didn’t even watch the television coverage of the election; she got all her news in real-time from Facebook and Twitter! Is it possible that President Obama can credit much of his victory to the power of social media? Is social media the future of our democracy? That might seem scary to some, but to me, I think it’s exciting.

 

Now more than ever before, we have seemingly unlimited access to candidates, and also to their famous A-List supporters who are out there pounding the pavement for them. Think about it – a young voter who may have never followed politics before or was even aware of the issues at hand sees a tweet from one of their favorite singers or actors, encouraging them to vote and/or support a candidate. This piques their interest, and, consequently, they start paying more attention, getting educated on the issues, and before you know it, BOOM. Another politically aware registered voter! How great is that?

 

Exciting times are ahead. Congrats to President Obama, and here’s to an amazing next four years!