Tweets vs. Votes?

In the Schlozman, Verba and Brady reading, the scholars posit that while the internet has long been heralded as an equalizing and democratizing force within the political sphere, it in actuality will likely not change the preexisting trends regarding participatory inequalities in the US. However, one effect that they do assert as possibly changing the nature of political participation is the ability of social networking sites to attract a younger set of voters who otherwise would most likely not have participated. Scholzman et al. quite rightly approach this new type of “participation” with skepticism, stating that while encouraging political contact within the youthful set, it does not represent the same level of participation that working for a campaign or voting would embody. As I am in agreement with both of these statements, I find it troublesome that the younger “generation” often relies on online, surface level political tools to form and communicate their political perspectives; and as a result, I find myself wondering what this trend will inevitably lead to when this group begins to replace previously dominant segments of voters. Is it simply a factor of youth that encourages younger voters to use the internet and social networking site inordinately more than other participatory forms? Or it is a function of our “digital generation”, as scholars have referred to it, which makes us predisposed to rely on digitally mediated forms of discourse?

To demonstrate this concern Scholzman et al. ask questions such as; “when middle-aged, will those now in their twenties announce their divorces on social networking sites?”. This concern, though more personally related, speaks to a larger anxiety that the scholars (and frankly, myself) have about the direction that political participation may move in the coming years. Will our generation, so reliant on Facebook and Twitter, turn to these outlets for political information and eventually for political participation? And if so, what effects will this have on both the quality and distribution of political participation? Surely the quality of political participation on a social networking site lacks much in comparison to physical involvement with a campaign, and additionally, with the steady maintenance of a “digital divide” as discussed by Schlozman et al, it is clear that many segments of society will still be left out of the political sphere. While it is certainly possible that technological advances and policy changes may alleviate some of these concerns about access to what is now becoming an important political tool, currently there remains a vast chasm between the groups of society who can “afford” to participate, and those who cannot.

Overall, being a user of social networking sites myself, I simply cannot imagine the future of political participation lying within the confines of Facebook. This being said, I believe that for many voting segments, this may be exactly what happens. However, I do think that it is important to understand and analyze, as Schlozman et al. do, the notion that this new technology is not a “cure all” for political participatory flaws, and that in many ways it most likely cannot present a feasible solution for the inequality of participation in the US.