The subject of politics can be seen as BORING to children and young people. I used to think that politics only concerned older people and that if I did decide to vote, my opinion would not matter. It's easy for children to become disinterested in politics because they may feel the way I used to feel -like they are powerless and their concerns about everyday life are not valid.
What better way to get kids interested in politics than to put it in a form as a game........? Alphaville, a fictional town in on The Sims online is a great example about using technology to teach an important subject in an unconventional way. Jenkins states that, "pop culture may be preparing the way for a more meaningful public culture." Do you agree?
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I think that the convergence culture will only be valuable to U.S. politics if it contributes to more participation. Did you vote Saturday? What is the alternative to boredom in terms of the country's future? --Dr. L
Thanks for your presentation today. --Dr. L
Well, I am extremly interested in politics. I think that I am affected the most right now then a lot of other people. I think it seems as though "older" people care more about politics, but I think this is just a ploy to put blame on younger voters. Obviously society is trying to stress to adolescents the importance of voter turnouts, but I think young people do care and do vote. I know some statistics show that younger people do not actually vote, but this does not mean that they are uninterested in the political ideals. I think children are influenced by their parents, so I think that is the way to get them involved. I think that if parents stress the importance and outline major points behind political components...then children will become motivated later in their life to vote. Also, children respond well to becoming older...What I mean by this is that children can't wait for certain ages...can't wait to be a teenager, can't wait to turn 16 and obtain their driver's license, can't wait to turn 18 to get into bars/clubs, cant wait to turn 21 to purchase alcohol/casinos/lottery tickets....so what i am saying is that maybe if we add in voting to a pro of turning 18 then more teenagers would be interested because it can be seen as an "accomplishment." I definitely agree with Jenkins, but I think certain celebrities take this too far. I get the vote or die campaign, but it does not look good when the celebrities promoting this themselves do not vote! I think the more pop culture expands, the more meaningful public culture will become because celebrities are seen as role models for younger children. (I know that thought is scary!)
I agree with you Mandy. Unfortunately, celebrities have become a very important figure in shaping the minds of today's youth. It is the parent's job to express the importance of voting, but they should also encourage individualism to their children as well. I feel that the number of of young enthusiastic voters as increased over the last couple of years. The youth's interest in the up and coming presidential election is a great example of this. A growing number of young people are now starting to realize the importance of voting and how if affects lives.
I also agree with your statement that voting should be turned into a pro of turning 18. One should feel a since of accomplishment when voting and making an effort to help his or her future.
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