Sen. Barack Obama has a Myspace page.

The presidential candidate’s page has video speeches, blog entries and news stories.

Many other presidential candidates also have Myspace pages. Many have Facebook groups and some post videos of their speeches on YouTube.

Richard Wandling, professor and chair of the political science department, thinks the political videos on these sites are good for college students.

Students are going to be getting involved with politics more because of these videos said Wandling.

YouTube and Myspace have been bombarded with videos and audio pertaining to the upcoming elections, especially since the start of the primaries.

“If this is what it takes to have young people pay more attention to politics, then it is a positive development,” Wandling said.

These sites have the potential to get younger generations involved with politics.

Age will have a lot of impact on whether or not the political videos posted on Myspace will affect people, said Julie Chadd, assistant professor of technology.

“Blogging and online videos will appeal to people of demographic areas who might not have been as inclined to participate in the process before,” Chadd said. “Younger voters may be more interested and more likely to vote. I think older people will continue to learn about the candidates through media they find comfortable–newspapers, televised news, friends.”

With the new technology and being able to post just about anything online, the potential for embarrassing clips of candidates being posted has increased.

“Since an election is a mostly controlled environment to project the best face of a candidate, if you have people capturing candid video clips of candidates actions there may be videos posted that are embarrassing to the candidate or worse,” said Sam Guccione, professor of technology. “The issue though could be that hundreds or thousands of video could be posted. In addition, home-made videos created to make fun of candidates or degrade candidates, etc. could be posted. This then could escalate from there.”

The amount of influence political information found on the Internet has on students is still up for debate. While the Internet has many political videos from candidates, some say this won’t affect people’s political views.

“I don’t think just because it is on Myspace or YouTube will it necessarily influence anyone’s political stance,” Guccione said.

In addition to videos, blogs have also been a part of the political ideas for the election. Blogs have been around a while, but political blogs allow the public to write anything about any of the candidate running for office.

“Web sites like YouTube have already showed how they can be used as part of the campaign process,” Chadd said. “Several people have discussed blogs related to the primary elections.I believe these types of media will continue and will play a large on the election.”

The variety of political information on the Internet can help voters make informed decisions come Election Day.

“It is great to have a variety of media used in introducing voters to the candidates and their positions,” Chadd said. “Hopefully, this will force all voters to look at the issues, decide who best represents their views, and to actually get out and vote. Hopefully, they are utilizing these devices to help them form their own opinions and to research the topics they want to know more about.”

The law allows using technology to promote a candidate and their views.

“Boundaries that should not be crossed are outlined in the Constitution and laws. Using technologies to promote a candidate and his/her views is not stepping over a boundary,” Chadd said.

Videos and blogs posted on the Internet are supplemental materials for helping voters decide which candidate to support, but students still have to decide which information they believe and which candidate they support.

“The dangers of online videos are not any more dangerous than videos and media from other sources. It is always going to be there and individuals will always need to be able to discern what is correct and what is wrong,” said Jerry Cloward, assistant professor of technology.

With the adage of these videos of popular sites, some feel the face of politics has changed forever.

“As for the use of web pages, web media to host debates or delivery of videos, etc. I see them becoming an integral part of everything in our society including elections. We will not go back to the “old way” of delivering information. Its onward and upward for technology in our society worldwide,” Guccione said.

Technology has a large part in who wins elections because it is a large part of people’s lives, Guccione said.

“Information technology has an enormous impact on who wins. The convergence of video, audio, and images through whatever delivery system and delivery mode has already changed our whole society which includes the election,” Guccione said.

Many believe that Myspace and YouTube will have a positive affect on young people getting involved in politics.

“My hope is that the interest that in piqued by a YouTube video or a political blog leads to some further exploration or information-seeking,” Wandling said.

Ashley Mefford can be reached at 217-581-7942 or almefford@eiu.edu.