Facebooking Politics

Now that the election is over and the voice of the disgruntled majority has reclaimed the legislature, it’s time for those among us who spammed a house email list, routinely tuned into the news, rocked a “Rock the Vote” t-shirt, or (democracy forbid!) actually voted to give ourselves a congratulatory pat on the back. We’ve done our patriotic duty to steer the country back towards truth, justice, and the American way.

Ostensibly, high-minded ideals like civic responsibility, the potential for reform, and the power of collaborative effort are responsible for the election’s outcome. If you listen closely enough you might even even hear people debating the issues in our dining halls. But, for College students at least, there seems to be little substance and even less permanence to this involvement.

Our favorite Internet revolution, Facebook.com, made it easier to get politically involved this year. Its “Election 2006” feature, allowed you to list the candidates and issues you cared about, and then informed all your cyber-friends of them. At first glance, all this sounds great—what could be better than using a new technology to address an old need?

Well, for one thing, Facebook has made political involvement so easy as to be meaningless. Anyone can, for example, lend support to the hundreds of Darfur groups on Facebook and, in doing so, proclaim their commitment to the issue. Not only do such groups usually accomplish nothing, but they also promulgate the disturbing idea that joining a Facebook group is somehow a contribution to democracy. Groups are, in this way, more harmful than beneficial. The voices of those who could affect real change are drowned, simply because by the 501st Facebook group, no one is left listening.

The meaning of political Facebook statements is also obliterated when one considers their context. A search of “welfare” in the election section of the site turned up such memorable results as, “You’re the Reason We Need Welfare, You Selfish Fuck,” “Welfare Sucks,” or “Abortion is Murder, But If It Means Fewer Welfare Babies, It’s FANTASTIC!” Searching for

“Iraq” was no better, although perhaps the group “I’m Gonna Study Hard and Do My Homework So I Don’t End Up in Iraq!” should be given more credit for its promotion of education as an alternative to war.

Try as it might, Facebook is clearly not a venue for political discussion.

What’s more, the election season has now ended—and with it Facebook pulled its “Election 2006” section. But while Facebook proudly boasted each time a subscriber decided to care about an issue or join a group, the entire feature was quickly removed without fanfare. While I’m glad that, as a Facebook user, I will not have to read thousands of updates announcing that “John no longer cares about Gay Marriage” or “Sally no longer cares about AIDS,” I can’t help but wonder how many students noticed that they stopped caring themselves.


Nadia O. Gaber ’09, a Crimson editorial editor, is a history and literature concentrator in Kirkland House.