A story ran on NPR's "Marketplace" this morning about a new application that allows voters in Washington state to register via Facebook. Washington, along with 12 other states, allows residents to register online, but this is the first foray into social media as an avenue of registration. Microsoft created the app at no cost.
Privacy is, of course, the first concern that comes to mind. Technically, the app is only displayed within a Facebook skin. Although the app requires access to the information that is already held within a user's FB profile, the additional information required is NOT kept or used by Facebook. Voters are in fact entering personal information into a secure Washington state registration website.
But, will users realize (or believe) that Facebook has no interest in capitalizing on this new means of personal info? Hopefully. As social media grows in its ubiquity, users will expect more and more services to be available. Leveraging this portal - where young consumers in particular spend so much time, can play an integral role in mobilizing a younger demographic to engage politically at an earlier age.
As scary as it is to see all things migrating toward online, this could even pave the way toward online voting -- a topic that has been thrown around for some years. Despite the many barriers and concerns with digital voting, our physical voting system has not exactly been flawless. To the contrary, voting fraud and mis-counting seem as rampant as ever. Digital voting has the potential to secure identities, prevent the deceased from voting (for instance) and precisely tally results. The development of this new registration app is an optimistic sign that the online and social media space can be used to pragmatically and profoundly change consumer behavior and thereby improve the nuts and bolts of our politics.
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