I was looking at the news surrounding the upcoming presidential election, and I realized that one aspect of it makes it strikingly similar to the 1960 election - and no, it’s not the similarity between Obama and JFK.  Just like in 1960, technology is shaping not only how the race is being run, but how it could be won. 

On September 26, 1960, Americans sat down and watched the first-ever televised presidential debate - a debate since known for its importance in the coming months.  The young and vibrant Kennedy was tan and well rested, while Nixon was pale, poorly-dressed, visibly tired, and by many historians admission, the winner of the close debates. However, Kennedy won the election in 1960, due to how the technology of the time captured the image - the idea- of Kennedy. 

Technology has always been a part of the election process, from photographs to the internet, and with the arrival of “Web 2.0,” the dynamic of American elections is changing faster than ever before. 

Think about it this way:  Both Barack Obama and John McCain have Facebook pages.  Both are listed on LinkedIn. Both have campaign blogs, websites, videos posted, stories archived, RSS feeds pushing information at you.  Both campaigns have their myriad of minions shooting emails off every twenty minutes about the state of the campaign. Obama’s campaign is even sending out text messages to everyone who registers, letting them know first who he picks to be his running mate. 

The news media, from newspapers, radio, TV, news websites, blogs, podcasts, etc. bring you more and more information every day about the two candidates, their parties, and the megadrama that is Election season.  Combine that with the host of political organizations, like MoveOn, Divided We Fail, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, and others, and you’ll have a headache. 

With the increasing number of media outlets, the rise of social media, the advent of Web 2.0, and the instant gratification that news organizations, political campaigns, advocacy groups and ticked-off citizens like myself have provided for the American public, it seems today that the facts get spun in so many different directions that getting a straight story from anywhere is seemingly impossible.

Have we become a nation so dependant on politi-drama that we need it to be broadcast to our radios, TV’s, newspapers, websites, blogs, forums, wikis, i-Phones, Blackberries, and every other Bluetooth-enabled, Wifi-Vista-Capable, Broadband-high speed- touch screen, beta-tested gizmo, all in the incredible clarity of 1080i? 

What ever happened to forming your own opinion, after thinking about it for a while?

I’m not saying we need to go Neolithic, but here and there its nice to stop, think, and form an opinion based on the information you have at hand.  Do yourselves a favor today: read a couple of headlines, and then sit back in your favorite chair, or outside (the fresher the air, the better) and think about what was said.  You’ll have a better opinion than any that’s been pushed at you, because it came from someone who matters more than any pundit or politician: you.