uSocial media and politics: power to the people?

—Andrew Boyers

The General Election is unlikely to be dominated by social media, as it was in the 2008 American presidential election. It will, however, be the first in this country to be influenced by its presence. One only has point to Barack Obama’s success to see the benefits of using social media as a grassroots support tool. While millions of dollars were raised and on-the-ground activists united behind Obama, I did not detect much political discourse permeating through the official channels of his social media platforms. Arguably, the opposite is the case in the UK - little political online activity in this country is aimed at recruitment and fundraising. There are, however, a number of politicians and commentators who seek to communicate with voters and influence the political agenda through social media - @kerrymp, @torybear, and @campbellclaret, to name just three.

Indeed, both the major party leaders, David Cameron and Gordon Brown, have sought to harness social media with their own viral video efforts – Webcameron and the Number 10 YouTube channel – with debatable degrees of success.

It’s fair to say that politics and social media in the UK is still the preserve of a comparatively small group of people either inside the Westminster bubble itself, or those with a strong interest in what’s going on in the corridors of power.

However, discourse within that small group is having an impact on a wider scale – and much of that conversation is generated through social media. For example, many people will have seen the numerous parodies of the David Cameron ‘We can’t go on like this’ Tory posters generated by @mydavidcameron and documented in the wider press.

Even at this early stage of electioneering, political capital has been gained and lost by the major parties’ presence on social media and other users’ reactions to the parties.

This is only likely to intensify as the number of people interacting with politics via the Internet increases. Moving forward, social media avenues such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube will be vital to engaging with the electorate as a whole and in particular youth voters, a highly apathetic generation, according to a Guardian article.

So while we probably won’t see Gordon and David ditching their despatch boxes any time soon, it’s certainly worth noting that their stance and success are going to be increasingly influenced by online activity, starting with this year’s election.

Opinion: #SaveBBC6Music?

—Rik Salmon

One of the biggest stories dominating the media over the past week has been the BBC Strategy Review and Director General Mark Thompson’s decision to shut down BBC 6 Music. For a nation of licence fee payers, it’s inevitable that any change to the structure of the BBC is greeted with a tide of reaction. While we are all entitled to voice our opinion, should we have any say in the way the BBC is actually run?

The BBC is one of Britain’s greatest remaining institutions, and is rightly respected the world over. But due to the unique way it is funded, it is faced with the impossible task of pleasing everybody all of the time. Many have viewed Thompson’s announcement as a pre-emptive measure in the face of the possible election of a Conservative government which, according to many, will continue to kowtow to Rupert Murdoch in exchange for the support of News International.

With Murdoch effectively dictating Conservative media policy for his own ends, the heat on the BBC could become almost unbearable in the wake of a Cameron government. Yes, there is without doubt a debate to be had about the way our licence fee is spent. But that debate should be led by the public, and not triggered by the demands of a commercial rival.

6 Music may cater to an audience of ‘only’ 700,000, but when it costs just £6m a year to run ( a mere 2% of the BBC’s total radio output) compared to the £100m that the terminally dire BBC Three haemorrhages, you have to wonder if it’s being held up as something of a sacrificial lamb. Is £6m really that much to the BBC in the overall scheme of things?

As you would expect of an audience of DAB listeners, fans of 6 Music have utilised social media to launch a campaign to save the station. With the high-profile support of megastars like David Bowie, Radiohead and Lily Allen, not to mention a U-turn from Tory culture spokesman Ed Vaizey, hopefully the BBC Trust will see sense and block Thompson’s proposals. Otherwise, we’re left with Fearne Cotton as BBC radio’s voice of alternative music. And how depressing is that?

Has the 3D World Gone Crazy?

—Katie Bawler

For a majority of consumers, 3D has always been about film, but a recent series of media developments have thrust into the mainstream. Whether it be sport, television or even the first-ever 3D catwalk at the Burberry’s London Fashion Week show, I think we can safely say that nothing is off-limits from being ‘three-dimensionalised’.

Without question, the success of Avatar has had a huge impact, so much so that I wonder how long it might have taken the phenomenon to catch on if it wasn’t for the 3D James Cameron epic. Could we still be fumbling around with dodgy old novelty glasses with the lenses cut out and replaced with cheap blue and red cellophane? Probably not, but I don’t think that would be miles from the truth. For the general public, Avatar made 3D cool.

But the million-dollar question is where the technology will take us. The explosion of excitement around 3D makes it seem like anything is possible. Who knows, with the pace of technology in ten years’ time, 2D viewing might be as archaic as the gramophone. It’s even been mooted that 3D contact lenses could be the norm.

All this seems very exciting. But at the same time, I have to wonder if there’s going to be a bit of a backlash. How much do we really want to see a close-up of a sweaty rugby player as he grapples with four other guys in the scrum, or a malnourished model limping towards us on her way down the catwalk?

Whatever your opinion, 3D is upon us and this time it would seem well and truly here to stay.

A breakdown of the blogosphere

—Melanie

I came across this over at my favourite coolhunting spot, The Presurfer. It’s a  breakdown of the blogosphere today.

It’s certainly not an Earth-shattering representation, but it’s a very clever way to visualise it. Thumbs up to Intac for some brilliant linkbait.