With all of the attention being put on the presidential race, we should question how today’s younger generation will vote in the post Barack Obama era.
Today’s 18-24 year old demographic is the most apathetic generation America has ever seen.
In California’s last election only 8.2 percent of elligble voters ages 18-24 participated according to KQED News.
Could this be because of the technological revolution?
Young Americans now seem to have a large breadth of knowledge but lack a deeper knowledge. This may be because of the dependency on the Internet and social media.
When people solely rely on outlets like Twitter, BuzzFeed or Facebook for information they cannot expect it to be unbiased or even correct all the time.
A possible solution could entail social media sites promoting the election and enticing young Americans to participate. Maybe Facebook and Twitter could implement more promtoted links to unbiased sources or websites that outline current issues.
If Americans, young or old, want to learn about the presidential race or just politics in general they must learn how to find reliable and unbiased sources.
Unfortunately, our young generation isn’t doing that.
Most Internet users seek immediate satisfaction, which means they click the first link or only skim the beginning of a story.
Another concern regarding Internet users is click baiting. Social media users click viral web content the purpose of which is to generate advertising money at the expense of the quality of the information. This is how incorrect and biased information circulates and becomes so accessible to the average American.
We have to train ourselves to search for a deeper understanding.
The younger generation has a huge opportunity to use their voice in the next major election.
Voting is such an important democratic right that Americans are taking for granted.
Our nation has a history of young people speaking their minds. When we think of the younger generations from the past, decades such as the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s come to mind. These young adults had passion behind their causes. Todays young adults don’t even seem to know any causes to be passionate about.
Whether it is for Clinton, Trump, Bush, or Rubio, the young vote can and will play a large role in an election that will affect all of our futures.