The essence of the American culture is what may contribute to the poor interest of young people in politics. Here, the matter is that the focus is made on individualism rather than collectivism. It means that people do not rely on the state to help them cope with their problems (p. 237). In addition, other underlying causes can be identified if voting is perceived as the main form of political participation. In this case, the challenge is that younger populations are mobile. In this way, they are forced to reregister if they want to vote, and it is of little interest to them due to increased discomfort (p. 225). Another reason is the low level of civic duty recognition. To convince younger generations participate in politics, launching an online campaign via social networks can be helpful because it is one of the most effective ways to reach them.

Modern voter participation in the United States is associated with a historical tradition. For a long time, women and African Americans were deprived of the right to vote. Even when suffrage was granted to the black population, their registration was demotivated, and demonstrating the desire to register and vote would inevitably lead to troubles in the workplace and even social oppressions because of the violent activities of Ku Klux Klan. Still, other factors can explain this phenomenon. The first one is the specifics of the U.S. election legislation requiring scheduling of elections and registration before voting. The main challenge with registration is that citizens themselves should put their names on the voting lists, while, in other democracies, it is the government’s responsibility. Other critical factors are frequent elections, age, education, and income level – young and those with poor educational and economic background tend to avoid voting (p. 224-225), – and overall apathy or no interest in politics.

The emphasis on the Internet transforms traditional campaign techniques. In fact, they become less popular and effective due to the increased integration of the Internet and social networks in everyday life of the society. More than that, online campaigning outstrips conventional techniques. The main reason for giving preference to virtual campaigning is the access to numerous campaigning techniques, such as emails, text messages, chats, and various social networks (p. 230). All in all, the Internet can be used as one of the tools for promoting citizen involvement in the political life of the country, thus contributing to democratization. Nevertheless, it has its own audience – younger generations. Older generations do not find virtual campaigning appealing. Still, the raise of the Internet may make the older generations more progressive, especially those interested in the latest developments in the political life of their country, thus attracting them to get involved in the virtual activities.

There are several strategies for minimizing the risks of making irrational choices when voting. The first one is based on becoming more politically active. In fact, the idea is to make at least some effort to study what political parties offer. It is especially critical in case of presidential elections due to the fact that turnout during this voting is the highest. One more way to avoid irrational voting choices is to ignore what is said during campaigns. In this case, the recommendation is to conduct an individual research of the candidate’s programs and promises instead of making decisions based on online or traditional campaigns. What is important here is to avoid the impact of influential online organizations, such as the Tea Party, and social networks due to their contribution to the formation of the gregarious instinct (p. 231). Instead, listening to one’s inner self and relying on facts, not promises, are the best ways to make informed choices.