Dec 3, 2011

Technology. Information. Debating. Politics....

Political debates have been a major tradition in human culture since the ancient Greeks ruled part of the world. Usually, the news and information required for debate took a long time to spread amongst the people and this was typically by word of mouth. Mostly, these debates were about politicians, the policies and ideas they introduced, and whether or not people agreed with them. Debating has always allowed people of differing views to learn from each other, pointing out each other’s facts or fallacies in their argument.
To enhance these debates further, politicians have been involved with scandals, produced controversial policies and sent troops to war. Matters like these have caused much debate with citizens. Citizens become disgruntled when the politicians they voted for don’t adhere to the needs of the citizens. Technology has made these debates easier and has allowed more people to gather immense amounts of information to debate with. The electronic media has increased the level of information to fuel debates with average citizens.
In today’s world, filled with politics, the electronic media has only made it easier to get information with a simple click of a button or the change of a television channel. It’s so simple to get debating material that you can just type a few words on “google” and have thousands of pages to view, from multiple sources. The political world has changed since the wide spread use of the internet and it’s still changing to this day. With the availability of computers, television, news sources, and mobile phone devices, the amount of information can be overwhelming. There are many benefits of using electronic media such as influencing political debates and keeping people active in politics. The internet is the largest source in where people get most of their information from the media. All of this widely available information makes it easier for people to spread the information when debating.
Sometimes, the electronic media might overload your brain with too much information, but it’s still an excellent way to fuel healthy political debates. This is because it’s easier for anyone to get information about politics, which keeps people engrossed with scholarly journals and experts in policy research. The age of technology has immensely influenced society’s way of life and our culture. This is true for a lot of schools as debates are started in classrooms from the use of the internet and its immense sources. This has permitted students and staff to do hours of studying, along with books from the library. When researching, it is possible to gather many topics about legislation or political theories. Having all of these political topics with electronic media has let many people share their views of an argument.
Debating about politics from the use of the internet or television is very important in every culture, and it (should) invite discussion about what policies need to be done in any country.
Having all of these sources also means the person should investigate and read from multiple sources, to ensure the quality of their research. This also permits the reader to gather as much information as possible, sifting through the bias or factual inaccuracies. This wealth of knowledge from the electronic media, gathering up information from various news sources, will mean that everyone can keep up to date with the information needed for a healthy, beneficial debate.
The best part about electronic media and politics is that it keeps everyone on their toes. Having all of this information handy, and even in their pocket, allows almost anyone to be very politically literate, making these discussions much easier even when they disagree amongst themselves. When people talk with their friends, strangers or family, they spread this information to each other. This certainly allows everyone to stay captivated with what is going on in the world and their leaders. The downside to this is that some people may not verify information, and might take this information and give it to someone else. This is a major problem of conformity and it means people’s views are not being challenged often enough, making the statement, “ignorance is bliss,” holding true to its meaning.
An excellent example of how the electronic media can promote effective debating is on the video hosting site “YouTube.” There are many people who debate intelligently and have even appeared on several cable news channels. Cenk Uygur, from “The Young Turks,” hosts a progressive-oriented show directed for liberal Democrats. He will often debate with the libertarian lawyer and policy expert, Lee Doren from the site “How The World Works.” Both of them will often debate with each other, expressing their different views on various topics about politics. These examples prove that healthy debating occurs from the uses of the electronic media but there are a few downsides. A common downside with debating is that you get a lot of uneducated people who are too quick to form opinions for these matters. This has been a common downfall for the internet as it provides a wealth of information that sometimes can be heavily abused.
Having a liberal or conservative “talking points” application on a person’s mobile device helps them debate quickly, when they don’t necessarily have time to do their research. Although, there is a political bias to using talking points, it still allows people to debate efficiently and provide great ideas when they debate. The best part about having this information handy is that people can debate anyone, at any given time, on most of the larger topics. This certainly makes political discussions more intense and promotes the spread of information. A downside to using talking points only from electronic media is that some news sources will cover up small bits of information, hiding part of the truth from you. A way to avoid this is to ensure that you look up your information from a variety of sources. Not knowing your opponent’s sources, or argument, could label you unwise.
The electronic media ensures healthy debating but leaves it up to the citizen to get valuable, credible sources. While the use of certain forms of electronic media can further supplement the person’s argument, sometimes people take it too far. This is especially true when you end up with false information. Situations like these leave it up entirely to the citizen to pick the best, most reliable sources to fuel their debates. When people have their information from all of these available sources, their friends and family will be able to debate with them efficiently. Spreading information this way will ensure that people keep an open mind and learn both views of the argument. Keeping an open mind allows people to learn from one another, and the easier way to get information for debating is using sources from the electronic media.
Works Cited:
Watson, W. Joe. "Politics and Media in Cyberspace: Two Explorations of the Internet's Growing Influence." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 52.1 (2008): 153. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 Oct. 2010.
Lee, Han Soo. "Explaining Macro Media Bias: Do News Media Respond to National Economic and Political Conditions?" Www.tamu.edu. Department of Political Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 4 June 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.