It is election time again here in New Zealand, and on Saturday (if we haven’t already voted in advance) we go to the polls to choose our government for the next three years. This year, technology is managing to shield me from the often annoying election campaign. I rarely watch live television, so I miss the regular news or current events programmes with leader debates, and even the regular party advertising. I’m comfortable with that though, because – through national radio, the newspapers, and internet reading – I keep myself well informed.
But young people these days don’t listen to National Radio, get the newspaper delivered, or watch TV. So how do they, and new voters in particular, inform themselves about the election, the candidates, the policies, the implications of different vote choices? Do they actively go out and find the information? Or are they largely oblivious to the election campaign, blissful in their ignorance?
I have been shielding myself from the news a lot lately—even public radio often. I have to turn it off. It’s scaring me how much it’s beating me down, as that’s probably part of the point. Still, I vote. I hope I vote well.
LikeLike
That’s a great question.
We’re in an election season here, too and I’m seeing so many negative commercials and fliers. I keep wondering, who falls for these tricks? Don’t people do their own research to weed out the hysteria? I’m guessing no.
LikeLike
It is a good question. I think that even when I was young and didn’t seek it out, the information found me anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a very good question. Over here in Germany there are more and more people who just don’t vote at all, saying all politicians are corrupt or selfish or whatever. Or they vote for the far-off left or right parties as kind of a protest, which is never good. I don’t know if young / new voters do that as well? Which still begs the question how they keep informed
LikeLike
Usually the various parties have FB pages, twitter accounts etc too, right? If people want to be informed, they will find a way to get the information, I guess. But I think that there are a lot of people that have no clue what’s in the various election programs, but that goes for people who read newspapers/watch TV too! Too much ignorance in general…
LikeLike
Yes, but I’m wondering if young people actively go to those FB pages, twitter accounts, websites etc these days. Sure, some of them will – but what about those who don’t think that way? At least in the past – watching TV, and having to watch the ads too – we were fed information, and we absorbed some of it, without actively having to seek it out.
LikeLike
Yes, some of it is social media, but based on my one experience of working an election a few years ago a lot of it is total ignorance. A young man asked me ( an electoral officer, so neutral) what party was good for miners. I kind of wish I had told him the extreme greens.
My brother is in local government and he spent a year before the election being very active in community stuff, to get his name out there.
LikeLike
I think social media is a big source of information – even if kids don’t go to particular pages, they get information either from other people’s discussions or links or from general news stories about current events. Trending topics and front page stories can get some attention. But even some of the Tumblrs I follow strictly for entertainment venture into policy every once in a while. Some people are ignorant and vote based on randomness. Some people get involved. Some people are educated. I don’t think the young ones are any different, but their access seems strange. But when I was 18, I didn’t read newspapers much, and while my parents might have been watching the news or TV, I didn’t necessarily pay attention.
LikeLike