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.
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.
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.
