The Republican National Convention for 2012 will take place in Tampa, Florida. Google has partnered with the GOP and has been designated the “official social platform and Livestream Provider” for the convention.
Google is calling it “a convention without walls”. Google has said “Technology has changed the political process from one that voters watch from afar, to one that people can participate in, engage with, and shape in a democratic way right from home”.
They have already set up The Convention Without Walls website. The convention is still several months away, so nothing is currently happening on that site. However, it promises “Something amazing is on the way”. It appears that if you enter your email address into the box on that page you will “be the first to know” about what happens at the RNC. It also says: “Using the power of Facebook, we’re going to bring the convention to you, and it’s going to be groundbreaking”. It remains to be seen exactly what way Google is going to use Facebook for this.
In 2008, Google teamed up with Ustream.tv to offer live streams from the Republican National Convention. This time, Ustream is not involved. Google is paired with YouTube, to bring viewers “an exclusive backstage pass to connect with Republican leaders off the podium via Google+ Hangouts”. They will also be livestreaming key events right into living rooms.
Susan Molinari, Google’s Vice President of Public Policy, has said she is thrilled about this. She thinks this opportunity “will remove the barriers while enabling voters to feel more empowered”.
It is clear that using social media as a means to broadcast the RNC is an excellent way to get the attention of young voters. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all the young voters who check out the event through Google’s use of social media are going to vote Republican in the upcoming 2012 Presidential election that will take place in November. Instead, it means that Google might have found an interesting way to get young adults at least a little bit more interested in politics.
Image: Google by BigStock.