The Fountain of Youth

By using these new literacies, Obama attracted the younger generation, a group of voters that had overall been previously apathetic about politics according to Thomas Patterson, a professor of Harvard University. “Since the start of this campaign…I think what we’ve seen is a second source of energy for young voters and that’s the Obama campaign…He happened to have the kind of personality, the kind of message that appealed to them (Schifferes, 1).” A larger part of this new message that attracted the young generation was the way it was presented to them. There are few people in the younger generations that want to sit down and read the entire newspaper to get their information, but if it is easily accessible online, especially on sites they frequent, it is much more likely they will respond in a vocal and positive manner. Many children and young adults find the political jargon confusing and overwhelming. Jenkins suggests that by involving new literacies through technology in politics, this younger generation will feel like they have a sort of control on a very small level, causing them to become more immersed in the subject. Jenkins argues this idea with the recently popular Alphaville, an online community populated by users of The Sims Online. One of the largest demographics using this game was the younger generation. Virtual worlds like Alphaville allow younger people to speak their mind and feel like what they have to say is important and respected (Jenkins, 239). It is unsure if a measure this drastic would be successful in politics, but the simple involvement of new literacies would increase this feeling of empowerment and the youth’s involvement. These technologically advanced campaigning options were difficult to produce, but were easily and positively viewed by the public.