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There were many extremely good points regarding politics and internet use in Photoshop for Democracy, The New Relationship between Politics and Popular Culture. It opened up with a scenario of characters that everyone is familiar with, Donald Trump and George Bush, and showed how the use of the internet can make just about anything happen. The editing done in film from the two of them made a completely different video that many people found humorous. Though it was degrading our president it shows that politics and the internet have created a bond where people's opinions can be easily displayed. Slapping the presidents behind in an online computer game reaffirms the point that the creator of the Trump/Bush scene wanted, and this is all done with the internet regarding politics.
The article talks again about the tools present in today's society and how they are used. In our previous article, Smart Mobs, they touched on this same point. The way people choose to use today's technologies is the point these two authors are trying to touch on. Smart Mobs focused more on cell phone usage, and Photoshop for Democracy is explaining how the internet is changing politics. Photoshop quotes, "His staff (referring to John Kerry in the 2004 elections) used blogging to create a more intimate, real-time relationship with his supporters." This quote is the idea that politics on the internet is a very popular, and effective mechanism. Photos are also used as examples of taking political images and making them swayed in ways to show embarrassment. Photoshop again quotes on this subject, "The use of images may be blunt, and when Bush's face is morphed into Hitler's of Mad Magazine icon Alfred E. Neuman, or when Kerry's face gets warped to look like Herman Munster."
The article also talks about Popular Culture and how it is involved with children and the youth. The article touches on how they think children do not feel involved because they are not allowed to vote until the age of 18 and they are not looked at as political subjects, therefore they do not become involved with the news because they feel that it has nothing to do with them. Children chose to take the computer game, "Sims" and through their experiences with the game it was only then that people started to realize the intensity and confusion that kids felt regarding political dilemmas.
As I said before, Photoshop for Democracy touches on many important issues that are present in today's society. These things will continue to be present in daily life if changes are not made. The internet will continue to be an issue for both Democrats and Republicans, but while it will have it's issues and problems it will continue to excel and educate. It's a catch 22 yet it's our world.