Missed Connection?

The Obama campaign of '08 had an unprecedented mastery of social networking and technology that provided them with a comparatively solid connection to the 18-24 demographic. They had found this source of untapped potential - this shortcut that none of the other racers were privy to - in being able to inspire the youth and get them to the ballots, effectively winning him his seat in the Oval Office. 

The use of technology is still a major player in these elections, and Obama still has the upper hand. But how much does this matter? Are the same youngsters who turned out to vote in '08 making the same commitment to do so on November 6th? In speaking with community college students I have been surprised to see a lack of enthusiasm, interest, and even hope, for this election.  Like Beijing after the 2008 Olympics, the fervor that once rocked the city is gone.

Nevertheless, the zeal should still be strong and should extend beyond the occasional Facebook status update and political meme and be enough to get people to the ballots to vote. The same Facebook and Twitter demographic should remain connected because this election still wrestles with issues that matter. The state of the economy, employment numbers, and education are not just topics worth tweeting about, but topics worth showing up to the ballot box for.

Obama is advocating for the youth more fervently than his competitor. His speech at the Democratic National Convention made sure it reserved plans for greater emphasis on education, student loans relief, and college tuition payments, making promises that should matter to current students, and heck, even recent graduates. Wouldn't it be great to enter the workforce without the burden of college loans? Not to mention, wouldn't it be great to enter the workforce after graduation at all? These are issues that Obama continues to work towards. An election, a presidency, that does not speak for the youth of this country will not speak to the future of this country. These are the issues that should rekindle the hype of '08 and make voters get to the polls.