I caught a rerun of the Democratic presidential debates last night, and was surprised by the effectiveness of the YouTube format! I had expected the event to be gimmicky, but discovered that YouTube actually added a very interesting dynamic to the debate. Instead of a moderator asking all the questions, people from all over the U.S. took part via their homegrown videos. And people were not shy about making their points, including one woman who emphazied her distress about the U.S. health care system by pulling off her wig to show the results of recent chemotherapy. It was dramatic, entertaining and more than a few differences among the candidates were highlighted.
A new form of participatory democracy? Maybe. To submit a question for the Republican debate go to http://www.youtube.com/republicandebate. Maybe your library could offer to help people do YouTube videos for the next debate???
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In the Democratic presidential candidates' debate, the medium really was the message. The official media-in this case CNN-bowed to the power of the unofficial, the citizen journalist, and opted to join what they know they can't lick. It seems that the potential for an informed global citizenry to practice real grassroots democracy has never been greater! Come check out our post on the same subject @: www.weekxweek.blogspot.com
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