Are youth apathetic towards politics?
I would like to start this post with a video explaining why youth are in fact not uninterested in politics:
I would like to start this post with a video explaining why youth are in fact not uninterested in politics:
The conclusion that youth are apathetic towards politics was drawn from the fact that there is a small percentage of youth who participate in voting. In the video above, Jacob Helliwell says that politics is more than just checking off the box on a voting slip – something that isn't really an engaging form of participation.
In other words, it isn't a fair measure of the youth's engagement in politics. Statistics (I'm assuming US) show that 60% of youth engage in some form of non-voting political behaviour while only <38% of adults under the age of 50 do so. It is not that the youth are apathetic towards politics, but rather, they are shifting to different forms of participation. This, I agree.
News about the government are mostly reported in a section in The Straits Times, easily identifiable by the lengthy columns and lack of images. Since the youth largely consume digital media instead of getting their fingers blackened while flipping pages of newspapers, they feel like politics isn't targeted at them. In 2010, SDP secretary general Chee Soon Juan also mentioned that there were more young people participating in the election forums than older ones. I'm sure the figures will continue to increase as young people become increasingly reliant on social media as their source of information. This shows that social media is the way to go when it comes to engaging youth in politics.
During Singapore's election period, when candidates actively post on social media to garner votes (a relatively new strategy they have adopted), and Twitter becomes flooded with election-related tweets by peers and news accounts, youths become increasingly interested in politics. Some become so involved that strong opinions on the different parties are exchanged on these social media sites, with each of them imposing their beliefs on one another. These arguments sometimes get so heated that a Twitter war begins.
Speaking of the youth's engagement in politics via new media, RP's secretary general Kenneth Jeyaretnam too supports the use of online media because "there is a certain comfort of the anonymity online", for those who fear of using their identity to post something critical about the government. The option of anonymity can be both a power and limitation of internet campaigning. With anonymity, people are more likely to share their views, allowing the political parties to take in constructive criticism and improve themselves. This also allows for broader discussions with strangers in forums or a comment thread. However, it is also a limitation because anonymity could result in defamation and libel – nasty comments posted about the parties.
Apart from giving youth and other people the opportunity to interact with the political parties online, internet campaigning also allows these parties to post videos or information that might be censored by mainstream media, who tend to portray the parties in a certain light, leaving out some information deemed crucial by the parties. This is the power of internet campaigning because it allows people to take a closer look on the various aspects of the party's campaign involvement. RP's Jeyaretnam likens the (mainstream) media's report of their press releases to "reducing War and Peace to a 140-character tweet." I love this analogy! Haha I'm sure those of you who have done Journalism would understand the frustration. However, Jeyeretnam also feels that internet campaigning can portray "too rosy a picture and a false degree of comfort".
With the speed and ease of delivery that internet campaigning has to offer, I'm certain it is here to stay though the older generation might argue that traditional media provides better coverage. What's your take on this topic?
During Singapore's election period, when candidates actively post on social media to garner votes (a relatively new strategy they have adopted), and Twitter becomes flooded with election-related tweets by peers and news accounts, youths become increasingly interested in politics. Some become so involved that strong opinions on the different parties are exchanged on these social media sites, with each of them imposing their beliefs on one another. These arguments sometimes get so heated that a Twitter war begins.
Speaking of the youth's engagement in politics via new media, RP's secretary general Kenneth Jeyaretnam too supports the use of online media because "there is a certain comfort of the anonymity online", for those who fear of using their identity to post something critical about the government. The option of anonymity can be both a power and limitation of internet campaigning. With anonymity, people are more likely to share their views, allowing the political parties to take in constructive criticism and improve themselves. This also allows for broader discussions with strangers in forums or a comment thread. However, it is also a limitation because anonymity could result in defamation and libel – nasty comments posted about the parties.
Apart from giving youth and other people the opportunity to interact with the political parties online, internet campaigning also allows these parties to post videos or information that might be censored by mainstream media, who tend to portray the parties in a certain light, leaving out some information deemed crucial by the parties. This is the power of internet campaigning because it allows people to take a closer look on the various aspects of the party's campaign involvement. RP's Jeyaretnam likens the (mainstream) media's report of their press releases to "reducing War and Peace to a 140-character tweet." I love this analogy! Haha I'm sure those of you who have done Journalism would understand the frustration. However, Jeyeretnam also feels that internet campaigning can portray "too rosy a picture and a false degree of comfort".
With the speed and ease of delivery that internet campaigning has to offer, I'm certain it is here to stay though the older generation might argue that traditional media provides better coverage. What's your take on this topic?
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