In my previous blog post, I talked about Tapscott's view on the education system, and contrasted it with my own viewpoint. For this post, I will be talking about the American political system, and my personal experiences with it.
Let me start by saying that I agree with everything Tapscott said about the Net Generation and democracy. He has some powerful opinions that go against the mainstream idea that the Net Generation is also the Me Generation, and I appreciate that optimistic viewpoint. If you truly believe that an entire generation is self centered, then you should be trying to change them, not tell them that they are wrong. Also, I believe that the Net Gen is much less self centered than the previous generation. The previous generation has pursued the American dream with extreme vigor, and most have succeeded at attaining it. The Net Gen seems to be more interested in leveling the playing field, helping others obtain not the American dream necessarily, but the dream of equal rights and opportunities. So, in summary, I appreciate Tapscott's take on the Net Geners.
I do not read big newspapers (I occasionally read the Daily Evergreen or the Argonaut, when I have the opportunity), I do not watch cable news, I do not visit news websites. I get political information from Facebook, Buzzfeed, Tumblr, etc. I glean what I need to know from what people are posting, sharing, talking about, on social media outlets. Therefore, traditional political campaigns do not reach me at all. In the 2012 elections, I learned a lot about Obama, and next to nothing about Romney, except that he is Mormon. Tapscott was completely correct in his analysis of Obama's success: he targeted young voters and reached out to them in a way that made them feel of value. Obama has a Facebook page, Twitter account, and a Tumblr, which actively responded to inquiries and comments made by Tumblr users. Net Geners respond to interaction and honesty, not lies and manipulation.
I remember watching TV with my parents in high school and seeing a lot of attack ads, particularly against local folks, or against Obama on Fox News. I still see them when I visit my folks (they have cable, I don't), although I see them less frequently than I used to. I absolutely hate attack ads. It reminds me of how a little kid, when at risk of getting in trouble, will point at someone else and say "but he did..." It's childish, and there is no integrity in that. Every time I see an attack ad, it makes me much less likely to vote for the person who sponsored it. I want an honest politician, even though I don't think that they exist. Tapscott was also correct in saying that Net Geners distrust the traditional political system. They don't trust politicians who are all about money, which we believe is all of them. The more honest a politician is, particularly in acknowledging their flaws, struggles, or desire for some sort of personal privacy, the more likely they are to gain votes from Net Geners.
Occupy Wall Street is an excellent example of how Net Geners have used technology to make a difference. People around the country flocked to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites to organize a civilian led political stand against the wealthy political leaders of Wall Street. It's interesting for me to dwell on all of these ideas, because, although I would vote for Obama and support OWS now, when all of these things were at their peak, I was a very conservative Republican who would rather die than lose capitalism. Interesting how things change when one grows up and learns to think for themselves. The internet, particularly the social communities on the internet, have played an exceptionally large part in developing my political, social, economical, and personal beliefs and opinions.
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