5Across: Politics + Social Media - Essay Example

5Across: Politics + Social Media Summary: This video discusses how social media has influenced public access to politicians in the contemporary age.In the past, when there was no such means to access the politicians like facebook and twitter, most of the people could not have their concern conveyed to the people in power. Today, an ordinary man can reach a politician online and converse with him/her in the most informal way. Politicians have mixed results of using facebook. On one hand, they can easily advertise their campaigns through social media websites.

Their message is just a click away from their thousands of friends, which they want it conveyed to. Additionally, it does not cost them a dime unlike the traditional media forums, which consume a lot of time and money to achieve the same. However, advertisements and campaigns are more organized in the traditional media as compared to the social media forums. On the other hand, people are most informal when they are conversing through the social media. Any friend can make a fuss of a petty matter that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

The fuss may expand from the social media and show up in the traditional media as well. Also, an ordinary man can say such things to a politician that would not be considered worth saying in a one to one conversation. Advertisement on social media is extremely cheap, so politicians can opt for availing this option. A politician can use social media as a tool to increase his/her influence in the public. Overall, social media holds extreme significance to politicians in the contemporary age. References: 5Across. (2011). 5Across: Politics + Social Media.

PBS Video. Retrieved from http://video.pbs.org/video/1628449986/#.