We the Voters, an online campaign devoted to spreading the power of knowledge via interaction and short films to promote an increased awareness behind decision making— especially when it comes to politics. During a media literacy lecture, a week prior to the election, a discussion was led on how actions and opinions are affected by different mediums and how they are used. From social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, to various online publications, we are setting up our networks to be full of bias and misdirection. “MediaOcracy,” one of 20 films created as part of the We The Voters campaign, emphasizes the dangers fount within the web created online, manipulated, and tangled by feeding our own interests.

Surfing the web has evolved from innocent research sessions to algorithms being put into play as the consistent growth of technology attempts to learn more about humans on a more personal level. We see this all of the time when it comes to advertising and it’s nothing that we aren’t already aware of. When we see that same boot sale campaign on google, we are not blind to the fact that it has been tracked by our previous strokes, saved, and shown during future online search optimizations. Although we are consistently looped into this technique, we forget how this works in terms of the news and information we constantly skim and share. If advertising companies can use this to reach their demographics, then you can definitely count on the news to reach target audiences as well.

“MediaOcracy” does a great job at exposing how easily we blind each other to the web of information we create and ultimately aid in tangling our own perspectives. In a land as free as ours, we must do more than promote a “sharing” community. We must do more than “like” a post. Instead, we must dig into other sources and gather a rich variety of angles and information. When we rant online and feed only into recycled opinions, we strip ourselves from the free road of courage and enlightenment. I suggest watching “MediaOcracy” and then challenging yourself to read from a source you might not entirely agree with. Practicing this will steer you free from engaging in an entangled web and provide enrichment while you broaden your current perspective.

As much as I like to believe that we are a self-absorbed society interested only in the information we think will suit us best, I also feel that we are a powerful society with the potential to do great things for our world. This means we need to take knowledge back into our own hands.

The election caused a stir of emotions and a healthy amount of blame was pointed at the media for its lack of reliability. With a blameful mindset, we place ourselves in the chair of a victim and it’s too easy to play that role. Relying on political leaders and powerful never got us anywhere. Exercising our rights and being an active force in our communities is what our history is made of.

There are so many of us who are proud to be an American, but often times find ourselves complaining about the way things are without following up in action. Practice what it means to be an American and be proud of what that means.