Where’s the Bern?
“What the American people want to see in their president is somebody who not necessarily can win every fight, but they want to see him stand up and fight for what he believes, take his case to the American people.”
— Bernie Sanders
Remember the good ‘ole days? You know, when mornings consisted of rolling out of bed, stumbling to the mailbox to grab the newspaper, and sitting down at the kitchen table with a cup of fresh-brewed coffee, making sure to spend some quality time checking out “the funnies” along with a healthy dose of the daily news? Whereas, nowadays, people often choose to take the route of simply scanning their thumb print, unlocking their phone and accessing endless amounts of information without even lifting their head from their pillow, because why would someone voluntarily deal with the inconvenience of having to actually exert energy to do something without the use of technology? It’s baffling to think about how much pertinence the internet has in everyday life, considering 30% of American adults get the majority of their news from Facebook. It’s crazy how much social media and the internet in general rule our lives, huh?
That being said, since the internet has become such an integral part of everyday life, it has led to the birth of internet politics. Within this, the media simplifies the message it wishes to convey and paints a picture of the Politician of the Hour, manipulating him or her to fit the view that the writer wishes their reader to see him or her as. The media also takes its audience into consideration, personalizing the story to spark interests in its readers most effectively. These general occurrences within media politics create a gap in the relationship between representatives and the represented, which in turn produces a crisis of legitimacy. The internet creates a useful space for interactive politics that arouses participation and communication, but since news and information has become so easily accessible, the number of reachable publications has skyrocketed. This increase in frequency of information makes it easier for a loss of credibility, due to the fact that each source is competing with one another for the most reads, leading them to focus on writing about what brings them the most attention.
Lately, what has been the center of concern in internet politics is the current presidential race. America has some, to put it lightly, interesting candidates, with big players including Donald Trump and Ted Cruz from the Republican party, along with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders from the Democratic party. The most eccentric candidate is by far Trump who, despite the fact that he is leading the Republican party, never fails to stir up controversy and make a scene. The mass media has had throughout the race a focus on his campaign, since he provokes big reactions from readers. But, what about the other candidates?
It seems as though there is one candidate in particular who is not receiving nearly as much media coverage as he should. Due to the obnoxious noise created primarily by Donald Trump, it’s difficult to hear the moving voice of Bernie Sanders. During one analytical investigation, it was uncovered that ABC World News Tonight aired 81 minutes of footage from the Trump campaign, compared to a mere 20 seconds from Sanders. Although, despite the fact that he has been marginalized by mainstream media, Sanders is, at an impeccable rate, pushing Clinton to make a run for her money as they are now almost neck-and-neck.
Since the beginning of his campaign, it has been said that he can’t possibly win. But, why? His voice resonates within those who he does manage to reach, as he speaks sincerely and openly when expressing his ideas of radical reform within the American political system. You could even say that his standpoint on the major issues are revolutionary, as one of his major goals is to revoke power from the infamous 1% and major corporations. Isn’t that what the bulk of the working and middle class in America want and have wanted for years? So, why is it so difficult for the mass media to comprehend that Sanders may actually be our 45th president?
Considering this, the mainstream media might need to come to terms with the fact that Sanders will not become discouraged, and that it will take a larger obstacle than marginalization to break his determination to spread word of his campaign. Most likely due to the fact that his main demographic of voters have been Millennials, Sanders’ supporters express their loyalty by promoting his word through social media, in turn picking up the slack from the mass media’s lack of coverage. In this sense, they are taking control of the autonomy that internet politics creates for people by accessing and spreading information without relying on traditional media, as well as communicating among each other without the intervention of politicians. In this light, internet politics has given the people the tools to stay aware of Sanders’ campaign, even if the spread of information is spread largely by voters themselves.
The tug-of-war between Sanders’ voters and the mass media continues on as one side tries to pull him into the depths of marginalization, while the other fights to have him brought to light. As Election Day grows nearer and nearer, the question remains; will the fire of passionate determination within Sanders “Bern” bright enough to win, or will the mass media put his flame to rest?
