"Progressive Politics" Questions

1.     Why do the Democratic leaders embrace blogging as a potential political communication considering the traditional media landscape in politics?

            Democratic leaders have come to embrace blogging as a potential political communication because it could help them win elections. It grants them access to the young people with new ideas and loud voices. It allows candidates to have a controlled online presence wherein to state their platform and interact with voters. It's the perfect place for their information to be disseminated, discussed, and returned with commentary as well. Young people and new voters are usually the target area for politicians, as older voters are usually stuck in their ways, so targeting them with software they already are adept as using is the perfect way to connect.

2.     Blogging encourages a participatory culture. In what way does the participatory culture in blogging expand digital media convergence?

            With a participatory culture imbued into the essence of blogging, it is natural for digital media convergence to expand. Blogs are marketing tools and vie for the most attention; the largest readership. Therefore, it is necessary for individual blogs to reinvent and converge old and new ideas. Adding images, video, audio, and everything in between is cutting edge: it will draw attention and increase readership. As the competition thickens, the blogs themselves will be generators of new media. 

 3.     In the article, the author says: “The ability of the Internet to erase geographical distances can become a structural weakness in elections where district lines and eligibility are key.” How can blogging counter this weakness in the process of turning the netroots to grassroots?

            Blogging can counter this weakness by being methodical about changing the locations of limited net access into ones of new access. If a party entered an area, say a poverty-stricken urban area, and funded a project that brought internet access to the area, they could create the conversation as they go. An election could be turned into a humanitarian pursuit. By converging grassroots and netroots, the weakness of lack of understanding and aptitude for technology could be combatted.

 4.     The author spends the second half of the article discussing the lack of diversity in current blogosphere dominated by elite bloggers. Please use the concept of digital convergence to explain how blogs can become the real bearer of freedom, democracy, egalitarianism, and participation in the new media communication?

            Digital convergence states that all forms of media synthesize, reinvent, and spread at unprecedented speed. Of course, in order to become a part of the river, one needs internet access and an education that teaches one how to use it. But, as time presses forward, initiatives will grant more people from diverse populations internet access, and bring them into the stream of conversation. This will be the movement away from egalitarianism. Of course, the elite will fight back, but when it is needed, freedom, democracy, and voice will all be level in the new media communication.