We do need a jolt direly. But online politics are everything we've hoped them to be. Fake politics with dispassionate/apathetic youth are fake politics, and genuine grassroots politics (Dean, Paul, Kucinich) are enabled or enhanced greatly by the internet, just as you're covering.

--Hal Levy / studentsforkucinich.com

Just what exactly has Tom Friedman done to stimulate campus activism?

Mr. Friedman isn't the first person to lament the apathy of youth and tie it to whatever the youth are doing these days, and he won't be the last. Once upon a time it was television. Now it's the 'net.

social media is still in its infancy, but there are already great examples of how it's being used to create change. cellphone text messaging was a critical tool for chinese citizens to stop the construction of a chemical plant in Xiamen. web video in Myanmar has led to massive, global attention. Moms are using the 'net and web video to protest societal pressures against public breastfeeding TODAY at www.leagueofmaternaljustice.com. And Larry Lessig is introducing a strategy to leverage social media to fight government corruption around the globe.

RFK didn't ask people to join his Facebook group because he didn't HAVE Facebook. But RFK Jr. probably will. And Barack Obama does.

We're still figuring out how to use technology in the political process. But we already know that social media helps people overcome distance to communicate. It's already increasing access to public officials. The whole POINT of social media is you DON'T need an icon to achieve change. You just need to be resourceful and creative. Give the technology a chance to mature and work. Don't cave to people who have opinions for a living. Remeber that RFK and MLK used the communications tools of their day to increase influence. These tools are still in their infancy, but they'll help bring about the next big messenger.

And why are we focusing on the medium? Saying social media tools can't do anything is like saying televsion or radio can't do anything.

An all online campaign wouldn't be as effective as one with offline components as well. Even MoveOn knows that. But, in my experience as as activist organizer, I've found that people are pretty stretched for time. Sometimes a phone call or an email is as much as they can manage. They are often concerned, and would like to do something. But they're afraid their limited time means they will have limited impact.

It is, therefore, the job of any organizer or group to effectively combine whatever small efforts some people are able to make with the boots on the ground others can commit. When the smaller participants feel their efforts had some effect, they will continue to get more involved as they are able to.

As for young people, they live online. It's their world. And they will come up with new ways to make it more effective that old fogeys like me can't even imagine. They will build on the enormous strides noted by other commenters. And come up with tools that are uniquely their own.

Friedman is flat out wrong.