MySpace for Presidential Candidates

In the New York Times Fashion and Style section on March 18 there was an article entitled “The Future President, on Your Friends List.” This article talks about the implementation of politics on MySpace this week, which will have a focus on the 2008 election. The article says “it will be an online version of a town square, a collection of links to political MySpace pages that will make it easier for the site’s 60 million American users per month…to peruse the personal MySpace pages of, so far, 10 presidential candidates.” I found it interesting that this article was featured in the NYT Fashion and Style section. I think that it was put here because it is, in a sense stylish to be a MySpace user (after all most everyone under 30 is). This story shows how popular MySpace has become and what an extraordinary marketing tool it is. In my opinion this is a very newsworthy story, because the reporter is telling about how political candidates are hoping that this will get the younger generation who don’t normally read or watch the news a new way of accessing important information and hopefully informing them enough about the candidates so that they will want to vote. The fact that younger people aren’t voting has been a problem in the past and this article calls attention to this issue and what is being done about it. The move to MySpace is called “the most notable bid so far to establish a presence in the 2008 race.” The use of this popular internet site to make known presidential candidates, reminds me of the “Merchants of Cool” show we saw in class. The candidates are setting the medium in which young people can access news about politics and in a way they are setting the agenda, but it is ultimately the public on MySpace who will be the agenda setters because they will have the option to add these candidates of deny them. This tool for making candidates known to the younger Americans also reminds me of what Bill Clinton did on MTV when he was running for President. I think it is a great idea and a fabulous way to bring news to those who might not become involved otherwise. Kudos candidates for realizing that its not just the older, upper and middle-class voters who count in elections.