When Politics Go Viral

There’s been an increasing trend in politics happening since the dawn of the internet age. Politics have gone viral thanks to the ever-present voice of millions of internet users. At first internet users vented their politics through chat rooms and message boards. Now, they have access to a new world of online multimedia where they can showcase their work and reach millions of people.

The trend of viral politics is growing even stronger with the 2008 presidential election on the horizon. Sites such as Youtube allow people to produce their own political videos endorsing their favorite political candidate and denouncing their least favorite.

Political candidates such as Republican Mitt Romney are asking the internet community to create ads for them. Romney held a contest to create an ad campaign, which 23-year-old college student Ryan Whitaker won. MSNBC held a contest in August for the best viral campaign video, which they showed on the station.

The line between user-generated content and official press in politics has been blurred and it is surely an indicator of what will be happening in other fronts: sports, film, local news, and advertising. The user-generated world has arrived, what are you going to do in it?

If you’re interested in checking out some user-generated political videos, you can find them right here on Black Turtle Media at http://www.blackturtlemedia.com/videos/list?contest_id=11.