Networking with Bernie
The 2016 presidential election is shaping up to be incredibly interesting and unorthodox, a source of entertainment I would have never expected considering that it is politics. One candidate in particular, Bernie Sanders, a democratic nominee hopeful, is creating waves amongst the younger generations–I couldn’t tell you how many times I myself have received the “Bernie Sanders: Enough is Enough D.C Rally” event invitation on Facebook from my peers. Unintentionally enough, Sanders has rallied a network of youthful, tech-savvy volunteers with the skills and desire support his campaign. The key here is that they are not doing this by organizing ad campaigns or donating millions of dollars that they don’t have; no, instead, they’re turning to code. The combined tech abilities of these volunteers, some even as young as 14, has been enough to develop fully-functioning websites and apps outfitted with professional-level design and features, things that would traditionally cost a political campaign exuberant amounts of money. But how has this been possible? What now has allowed this mobilization of a historically untapped population that in previous years made it impossible?
The answer lies in the creation of a social network, formed through connections established online without the need to physically meet others. Though these enthusiastic supporters are viewed as just a component of Sanders’ larger political network, these people are, above everything else, a social network of their own. They have established close knit communities, even creating their own reddit threads as evidenced in the article. While they may have found each other because of shared political values, it is likely that harmonies in behavioral and social tendencies are reinforcing factors for these individuals. They have established relationships that provide them with peers and mentors capable of guiding them on issues beyond the realm of Bernie’s campaign. Young and inexperienced, many of them rest assured now knowing that they have resources available to help them emotionally, academically, and socially.
It will be an interesting thing to see how this network survives after the presidential race is over. Will this network collapse? From the previous discussion, it would be highly unlikely for this to happen. The 2016 election was simply the stimulus for the relationships that have taken root. Looking ahead the connections can only grow, with a new purpose emerging, and I for one am eager to see what important issues our generation will tackle together.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/us/politics/bernie-sanders-presidential-campaign-tech-supporters.html?ref=politics