ePolitics

WARNING: Politicians Beware - Parody and Satire Guaranteed

Youtube is an effective means of communication. Once used by amateur video makers for fun it is now an excellent marketing source and online host for members of the public to view a multitude of informational and entertaining videos. For this reason it does present a number of benefits (in theory) to politicians who chose to use the site as a way to promote what they have to say. But do the benefits of YouTube outweigh those offered by the more traditional forms of promotion engaged within the political sphere?

Youtube is very popular, but do its users seek informative videos regarding politics when searching the site? I don't think they do, and to be honest, I think YouTube as a political tool is somewhat redundant. If the videos are done cleverly and generate a public following based on entertainment value then maybe the politicians would have some success, but as it stands many politician chose to use the site as they would any media form. Their YouTube videos present nothing new, content wise, compared to what they would provide for television, and are not necessarily fitting to the types of videos uploaded to YouTube.

For example, take this video of former Australian Prime Minister John Howard:

This video is incredibly uninspiring! Why put this on YouTube? YouTube works in a viral way; if people like a video they tell their friends, their friends watch it, like it, and then tell their friends, and so on and so forth. This is the main reason videos become successful and popular and how YouTube works its magic. This would not happen with the above video; there is nothing special about it. People would only watch it if they were specifically looking for it or if they happened to stumble across it by accident. Personally, I do not see the point of putting such content on YouTube as it does not suit the medium. This video is something that needs to be put on mainstream TV, probably on a news broadcast or special televised announcement, not YouTube. Politicians are so out of touch!

Now, lets see the successful side of politicians on YouTube...and by successful I mean successful for the maker of the video, not the actual politician! Take this video for instance. Look familiar? There is one small difference...

...PARODY! Something which I am sure is a politicians worst nightmare. But if you put a video on YouTube you have to expect this, especially if your are in the political sphere, wouldn't you? Politicians who upload videos are setting themselves up for ridicule and making it so easy for people to poke fun at them. When a politician places a video on the site they make it even easier for people to make fools of them. The author of the edited video does not even have to go to the effort of creating a video from scratch, the footage has been handed to them on a platter and all they have to do is add some quick, witty editing and presto, another politicians integrity is unashamedly chipped away at.

I believe the danger of YouTube has in subjecting politicians to ridicule through parody definitely outweighs the benefits the site could potentially provide them. The culture of YouTube almost guarantees that a satirical take will be adopted towards their videos. Sure, there are benefits, and if the politician has a 'clue-up' PR team, then maybe they would be able to use YouTube with success, but this would be a rarity, and it's basically 'fair-game' when attacking politicians; even if they did use YouTube well there would always be someone out there willing to bring them down.

Conclusion: Youtube and politicians = disaster (but highly entertaining for us!)