President Obama Encouraging the Use of Social Media

On September 10th, President Obama addressed the nation regarding the issue in Syria. In his address, he said that no one doubts the use of chemical weapons in Syria not only because of the scientific tests, but also because of the "thousands of videos, cell phone pictures, and social media accounts from the attack. (Here is a link to his full speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbIrm42zYTU ; the part on social media begins at about 2:27). In the past, POTUS has had to rely on journalists and the media to spread the message of what was going on in the world. During WWII, the attack of Pearl Harbor was announced via newspapers and a speech given by FDR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0PW1Jhuu2Q . President Harry Truman announced to America/the world that we dropped atomic bombs on Japan over a live television report http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0PW1Jhuu2Q . During Vietnam, if people wanted to hear about what was going on in the war, they turned their TV to CBS and watched the Walter Cronkite special documentary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3mfXnFtwQc . Now, we are less dependent on news organizations and lean more towards social media, as President Obama suggests (at 13:55 in the first video, Obama urges the American people to watch these videos from social media). One such video, of hundreds if not thousands, that Obama urges us to look at is from a Syrian who uploaded it on YouTube. Just a warning, this video is very graphic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5bM8kTOsOk . 

We live in a time where we (ordinary people) break news stories to the rest of the world via or computers or mobile phones. If a major event such as a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or any other crisis is going on, all we have to do is take out our cell phones and start recording. Once we record, the video or picture can be on the internet in a matter of seconds for the world to see. This is the new age of reporting news. Social Media is how we are finding out about what is going on in the rest of the world. During WWII before we became involved, Americans had the impression that we should stay out of the war because it did not affect us since it was happening across the Atlantic. Since people did not see or witness it first hand, it did not affect them. Although we are not witnessing it first hand, we feel as though what is going on in the rest of the world, for example the chemical weapons in Syria, is affecting us because we see the tweets and posts by people over there. When Egypt was having their revolution, social media erupted over there and people over here became greatly involved. Social media connects the world without having to physically be there. Although social media was just beginning when the terror attacks happened on 9/11, it is a big factor now and is a way to connect Americans on that day. We hear stories of heroism and of tragedy from that day via social networks. This is one of the most famous photos from that day, and it was one of the most shared pictures on this last anniversary 

No longer do we have to rely on news organizations to tell us what is going on in politics or the world. We can find any information we want to know from the internet, and specifically, social media sites. President Obama is setting the precedent for future President's (until whatever the next technological boom is) to urge Americans and Congressmen to use social media sites as a way of forming their own opinion on an issue and then deciding what the next course of action should be.