The Impact of Social Networking Sites on Politics

In lieu of an abstract, below is the first paragraph of the paper.\nWith every advance in technology comes impact on everyday life. This holds true especially for advances in media technology. While the media is a pervasive aspect of life on a day to day basis, a time when it really becomes important is in regards to government and political information. The Internet has become an increasingly important tool for American citizens to not only gain political knowledge, but to engage in the political process itself. Some scholars suggest that this may "revitalize democratic society, enabling citizens to command the political and economic resources needed to become effectively self-governing" (Winner, 2003, p. 167). While it is not the goal of this research to determine if the Internet will eventually lead to a town hall format or direct democracy form of government, it is an interesting idea to suggest. Rather, the focus will be placed on whether or not the Internet, through social networking sites such as Facebook or Myspace are facilitating an increased engagement of citizens in the political process.