It’s hard to check out the news this week without seeing some reference to the roll social media is playing in getting aid to Haiti. In the meantime, social media is playing an important roll in a story that will affect everyone here in the US: the special election between Coakley and Brown for Ted Kennedy’s senate seat.
The stakes are huge for this race. And unfortunately, the Democratic candidate hasn’t used the web to her advantage. Out-Twittered and out-friended, she’s managed to run a decidedly old-school campaign in a tech-savvy state. It’s doubtful the race will be decided by social media alone, but the opportunities it offered to mobilize supporters were missed. And if the Democrats lose their super majority in the Senate -- as well as the slim chance they had to pass health care reform -- we’ll all be feeling the effects for some time to come.
Health care reform doesn’t carry with it the graphic images of the devastation in Haiti, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. But considering 45,000 people die in this country every year due to lack of insurance coverage, it’s a very real problem right here at home – one that might have been improved upon with a more politically savvy social media presence.
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