One of the best ways to hinder a cause is to promote it badly. I’ve just cringed through a bunch of videos on Blogorrah here and here urging young people to Rock the Vote. The idea is fair enough, and an initiative like Rock the Vote is an essential weapon in the war against apathy. However, these “celebrity” videos are so far off the mark that it hurts. I was planning on voting in this election, but after seeing none other than LOUIS WALSH encouraging me to do so, I have changed my mind.
The reaction around the place has been negative, to put it mildly.
“Shove the vote up your hole”
“Are young voters so dumb that they need sideburned singer-songwriters, lead singers of flop Dublin bands and devilish pop managers to remind them to vote?”
Adam:
The PR people that came up with this shite should be shot (along with most of the rest of them)”
It’s a bit cringe-y
Ryan Tubridy Rocking the Vote? I rest my case!
In fact, the only positive response I came across was Christine Bohan’s scintillating praise, declaring that the campaign is “kinda funny, gets the message across and it’s not nearly as cringey as you’d imagine.”
Unless I have got the wrong idea entirely about Irish people, the only young people that this will impress are under 13, and thankfully not eligible to vote. There was a lot of money put into this campaign, and I find it worrying, bordering on insulting, that they believe we can be seduced by the likes of Ronan Keating making the rock hand-sign. On the bright side, at least Marty Whelan/Linda Martin/Derek Mooney didn’t make an appearance.
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They have a Bebo ’site’ ffs. Bebo! Does anyone under the age of 18 actually go to Bebo? Apart from the criminally insane and Most Haunted viewers, obviously.
Their Bebo page has got 6 times as many views at their official website. Annoying as it may be, a Bebo page is important if you’re trying to get through to the students.
Basing an entire campaign around trying to be hip to impress 18-22 year olds of the long-fringed variety is a risky business, since it alienates everyone else, and it falls flat the second Ryan Tubbridy shows up. If they want to get the students voting, why not show an ad advising them how to vote away from home on a Thursday? Or give away free pot noodles to every voter.
This is a typical reaction from a handful of bloggers who do nothing but complain. You might not be taken by the campaign, and to be honest I think the videos are a bit cringy at times, but the fact of the matter is that overnight it’s changed the way we think about youth apathy in this country – now it’s very much on the agenda – and people in the media, in politics, in colleges, on the street are at least doing something more about it than before these guys were around. Don’t just sit around criticising – do something.
Mary, you’re wrong to say that these bloggers (myself included) do nothing but complain. One of the first things I said was that I support a campaign like this, but I am disappointed in the way in which it was carried out when it came to making the videos. It is my belief that the extent of the cringe factor present in these videos have actually weakened the campaign.
I’m not just standing around criticising. As a young voter myself who is within the target demographic, the patronising approach to these videos has motivated me to give negative feedback. I am doing something – I’m asking whoever is behind this campaign not to put the likes of Louis Walsh on our screens urging us to comply with his demands, because that could have an adverse effect.
And if you think this is just a few moany bloggers who think this way, you could be very surprised if you got honest opinions from the public. You will find that one of the best things to come out of the whole blogging thing is a real insight into public opinion. When the bloggers all speak together with one voice, then it is time to take heed.
The attitude that “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything” really irritates me. I support honest feedback.
Mary, your comment is typical of the kind of response that comes from people that either know they’re in the wrong or don’t know what they’re doing in the first place. Of course this suggests that you were involved in the process, and the fact that it took you two weeks to find the post would tend to back that up.
Whether or which, anyone that had any sort of understanding of modern Irish youth, of voting age, would know that Louis Walsh and his ilk appeal to twelve year olds, not twenty year olds. And here’s the thing that both they and you seem to have missed completely:
Twelve year olds can’t vote.
adam
From what I’ve heard (and seen) there next batch of videos are completely different and just rip it out of the likes of Louis Walsh – plus watch their current videos, they are already quite self-deprecating – look at the bit with Ryan Tubridy.
I don’t think these guys are idiots, I actually know one them. You don’t suddenly end up with people like Spin and Hot Press coming on board unless they’ve done the background on Rock the Vote and come to the conclusion that it’s actually not bad. I’ve had a sneak peak of the ones for telly which are out next week,
On another note, RTE have now integrated mycandidate.ie into their election website – it has become ‘the’ online source. That’s a massive achievement for a group of guys and girls in their early 20’s. They have almost no money – and have managed to create a very sizeable impact in a very short space of time. That’s a massive achievement.
Look at some of the basic stats – 30,000+ views on youtube in a week. 74,000 on bebo – I’m a really critical person, don’t get me wrong – but I really think what these guys have done is genuinely worthwhile.
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