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America - Land of Possibilities
By Aden Johnson, New York
Over the last decade, America's youth has fittingly gained a reputation for not being engaged in the political process as ardently as their older counterparts. As recently as the 2002 midterm election, only 19.2 percent of those between 18 and 24 voted, less than half the amount of all other age groups. It's no wonder, then, why issues that affect young people in America have been largely ignored.
"Just a few years ago many scoffed at the idea that a woman or an African-American could be elected President, but the prospect of both having a legitimate chance running alongside intriguing Republican candidates has energized the youth of this country and the Internet has provided the perfect medium for their mobilization." -Aden Johnson
However, something very special is happening during this election year. The youth voting bloc has turned out in record numbers in primary elections and it is expected to do the same in November. Young voters have already tripled their presence in Iowa, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia and doubled their presence in New Hampshire from four years ago. This leads many to wonder how an entire demographic can shift so dramatically in such a short time.
A forum sponsored by MTV, MySpace and the Associated Press, held February 2nd at MTV Studios in New York City (NY), sheds some insight into this shift. "Closing Arguments: A Presidential Dialogue" featuring Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Governor Mike Huckabee and Representative Ron Paul showcased the impact the Internet is having on political awareness and networking for America's youngest voters.
Taking advantage of live television feeds and on-line access via computer, radio and cellular phones, MTV created an unprecedented political gathering that connected young people from across the country and gave them immediate access to the candidates. Although the studio audience of the program was limited in number, millions tuned in or plugged in to watch the program and interact live with the hosts and candidates.
Washingtonpost.com political reporter Chris Cillizza manned a station in the MTV studio during the program from which he was constantly receiving instant messages with questions from viewers. He also initiated ‘instant polling' questions to see how the audience was reacting to the candidates' responses.
"I love the format of this forum," said Dennis Kim, a student from CUNY Lehman who was in the studio. "It reaches out to where teenagers are and gives them a chance to actively participate."
On several occasions the polling numbers to the candidates' responses demonstrated the viewing audience was ‘just not buying it.' This type of instant accountability has been unheard of in the past and it helped to shape the direction of the discussion and keep the audience engaged.
The instant polling did not come without its critics, however. Alana Krivo-Kaufman, a student from Columbia University who was in the audience, noted, "The immediate polling provided an interesting dynamic, but it gave misleading results because some of these candidates have very tech savvy followings that can easily sway the results."
One example of such bias occurred when more than half the respondents of a question claimed that Ron Paul definitely had their vote, although Paul continues to struggle with single digit support in most states.
Despite the inherent bias that any instant poll can present, the issues remained focused on youth interests throughout the forum, ranging from college tuition incentives for volunteerism to the genocide in Darfur.
"It's really effective to have a room full of young people talking about issues important to the youth movement," said Hai Ninh, a 2002 graduate from the University of Oregon. "Other young people want to hear what their peers are concerned about."
Never in history has it been so easy for young people across the world to interact and exchange ideas. Just last year, one group protesting the repressive military rule in Myanmar on Facebook gained over 100,000 supporters in less than 10 days. Another group of young people on the site supporting Senator Barack Obama have recruited nearly half a million members and have the ability to send messages to all of the members instantly as well as post relevant news articles and videos daily.
Early evidence of the powerful impact the Internet is having on youth involvement in politics began to surface over the last two elections. Youth participation increased by 11 percent in the 2004 presidential election and jumped another five percent in the 2006 midterm election. However, the astounding leap in participation during this primary has been so staggering in comparison that it's clear the candidates themselves have also played a very important role.
While New York University student David Laska is a committed McCain supporter, he noted, "My second choice is Barack Obama; he is the only candidate who makes you feel like you are watching history when he speaks."
Just a few years ago many scoffed at the idea that a woman or an African-American could be elected President, but the prospect of both having a legitimate chance running alongside intriguing Republican candidates has energized the youth of this country and the Internet has provided the perfect medium for their mobilization.
Together these factors have created ‘the perfect storm' for America's youth to have their most major impact in decades. "I hope this sticks and people continue to go out to the primaries," said Tom Szymanski, a senior at Rutgers University. "It's garbage when people say your vote doesn't count. Everyone should teach their friends and parents to get out and vote."
The massive crowd of hundreds of young people standing outside MTV Studios in Times Square carrying signs and cheering unremittingly for hours in the February cold resembled familiar scenes for a network that frequently hosts popular actors and singers. However, this time nobody was there to sing a song or promote a movie. These people gathered to support their top choices for President. If the showing is any indication of the passion the youth bloc has to be engaged politically this year, then the candidates will not be the only people making history in November.
If you missed "Closing Arguments: A Presidential Dialogue" on MTV it is still available for viewing at MTV.com.
