So Barack Obama announced his veep pick via text message (although he was a bit late on Twitter). In many ways technology is changing the face of politics. My current favorite is blogging. I find it fascinating how stories from personal blogs bubble up to the top and become visible to thousands. Sometime we learn a great deal about the true colors of a particular civil servant. This was the case recently in Utah, where the Utah State Senate majority leader Curt Bramble verbally abused a pizza delivery girl. 20 years ago no one would have ever known. But this girl has a blog, and she wrote a post explaining what happened. It was linked to by another blogger who is part of utahbloghive.org. Then the story was picked up by The Salt Lake Tribune’s blog, and more recently by KSL Channel 5 News. This is the way things can snowball on the Net. You might think that one little blog post would be like a needle in a very large haystack — no one would ever find it, right? That’s where the Internet is different. All this Web 2.0, social networking, blogging mumbo jumbo actually works. People can find eachother. Ideas can be shared. The smallest voice can be heard. To me, this is what democracy is all about.
Blogging for democracy
5 thoughts on “Blogging for democracy”
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20 years ago? Five years ago this would never have reached daylight.
Yep.
I’m concerned that “pizza girl’s” notoriety will end up getting her a church reprimand instead of him one. After all, they will not see “right to express herself” – they will see “disrespect for authority” instead. I hope I’m wrong, but all too often they prove themselves to be the inflexible, massive, oppressive conglomerate that they are.
Wendy,
Don’t forget that she’s also “just a woman” in the eyes of the church so you definitely have cause for concern.
It was very entertaining to read her blog posting. Hopefully people will take notice since Bramble is up for another 4 year term as State Senator in District 16 on November 4, 2008.