Have you been counted?

In a time when so many things can be done electronically and/or online, I found myself wondering how close we were to being able to do the census online. Better yet, would it be possible to count people based on their social media accounts? The answer—not yet. Although everyone is still going to receive a tangible copy of the census in the mail, many of the campaigns being used to bring exposure to the 2010 Census are through the numerous social media outlets. Los Angeles County stands to lose $11,000 for everyone person that is unaccounted for in the census, so community leaders and celebrities have embarked on a new campaign to really grab the attention of young Latinos. Why do people believe their campaign will be more successful than in previous decades? Because their campaign is through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets. The whole idea behind using social media to obtain interest in filling out the census is not just in troubled areas like L.A. County, but the campaign for the country also includes all the critical social media outlets. That’s right… the 2010 Census has a Twitter account, a Facebook account, YouTube videos, and an online news room. Social media is everywhere and obtaining information about the 2010 Census is too, so if you’re reading this and you haven’t been “accounted for” yet… go do so. For more information-click here.


--Meghan Smith