President Barack Obama has over 5 million Facebook fans, Congress members were berated by the media for tweeting during this year’s State of the Union address and former presidential candidate John McCain’s daughter said the Republican party was suffering due to its inability to utilize social media. A panel discussed the impact of social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, on politics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in front of about 75 people on Tuesday. ‘Technology is the facilitator of better government and better politics,’ writer and editor Brian Reich said. Reich authored ‘Media Rules!’ and edits the ‘Thinking About Media’ blog. The Internet allows for the quick transmission of information and tells both politicians and the public what is being done and what must be done, Reich said. However, the government is not keeping up with the popularity of the Internet and social media fast enough, he said. ‘The government is not doing enough to push information,’ he said. Reich said society should hasten its acceptance of new technology. ‘It troubles me that we are . . . as far behind as we are,’ he said. ‘Bad politicians are resisting it. Good politicians are probably struggling with it, but at least they acknowledge that times are changing.’ Gov. Deval Patrick’s New Media and Online Strategies Director Brad Blake said he admired the Transportation Security Administration’s blog ‘Evolution of Security.’ After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and tightening of security, many people felt restricted by the TSA, but the blog helped people understand the agency’s measures, Blake said. ‘I think that one of the best things the government can do is open up data,’ he said. Sen. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) said because information is constantly changing it is almost impossible to keep online information up to date. ‘The government doesn’t stand still,’ she said. Flanagan said the public is still embracing social media. ‘People are easing into social media,’ she said. Newspapers have suffered since the advent of instant free news via the Internet, but traditional media is still desired and consumed by the public, Boston Globe reporter Matt Viser said. However, Viser said new technologies were beneficial in the long run. ‘The more information, the better for people,’ he said.
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