Digital Democracy with Myspace and MTV
August 23rd, 2007 by Carbon CoalitionMyspace and MTV are teaming up to hold a series of one on one discussions between the presidential candidates and America’s youth. These conversations will then be broadcast on MTV and mtvU and webcast on MTV.com and Myspace TV. Myspace joins Youtube as the second internet mega-site to facilitate a more participatory dialogue in the election.
The presidential campaigns have tapped into the various social networking sites which have exploded in popularity since the ‘04 elections. The campaigns hope to reach a voting demographic that typically would not tune in to the nightly news or listen to NPR. In this post Y2K world one can quite literally be ‘friends’ with their favorite candidate on sites like Myspace or Facebook. Dude, that is totally way cooler than watching some lame-o debate on Sunday morning (unless snowmen are involved).
Lets not forget, America’s youth is the group that will be most affected by climate change. Polls conducted by Hamilton College examined how high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors felt about climate change. Many of these kids will turn eighteen within the next year and be eligible to vote in ‘08. The Hamilton report found that 70% of youth think that the U.S. should start reducing emissions now rather than later. When asked if a candidate’s position on climate change would strongly influence their vote, 59% said that it was somewhat likely and 20% said that it was very likely. These numbers send a message to the candidates that America’s youth cares about climate change, and that the issue will influence their vote. There will be no better opportunity to show a commitment to the issue than through the far reaching tentacles of MTV and Myspace during this series of one on ones with America’s youth.
These discussions are set to kick off right here in New Hampshire with John Edwards on September 27. The Carbon Coalition will work hard to ensure that climate change is a priority within the discussions, so stay tuned as more details are released. Also- The Carbon Coalition on Facebook…COMING SOON.
