Rebecca Black is a 13-year-old overnight sensation...mostly because people dislike and make fun of her song and music video, "Friday." No matter the criticism -- ever since a few well-read blogs dissed her in early March, she has been everywhere, and people now love her, from Saturday Night Live parodies to funnyordie.com features. If you search Google for "Friday," her video is the top result. Even our class favorite -- ePolitics.com -- has featured "Friday" on his site. Her 3 weeks of fame are nicely summed up in this "Betwixt the Music" interview. While the ePolitics.com post was mainly an April Fools prank, it's no joke that Black's instant fame is a perfect illustration of the power of digital media. Like the Friday phenomenon, online and social media platforms can quickly spread the word about political issues, candidates or causes -- for better or worse. Political figures like Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and Christine O'Donnel have benefited from online exposure, while others like Rep. Bob Ethridge or ACORN have been hurt by it.
Indeed, a recent Pew Internet and American Life Project poll indicates that most Americans believe the internet plays a role in reaching political goals, such as getting elected or raising awareness about an issue.
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