Column:

Social networking changes American voice

By Justin Prochaska

Published March 16, 2010

During this year's Super Bowl, all of us watched the resurrection of a storied career. No, it wasn't Drew Brees or Reggie Bush. It was America's favorite Golden Girl, Betty White.

Who would have thought that just a few years ago? Not me, that's for sure.

For those of you who don't remember, White starred in a Snickers commercial, and America fell in love with her again after she tackled people to the ground. Of course, in the last year she has starred with Oscar winner Sandra Bullock and will-never-be Oscar winner Ryan Reynolds in "The Proposal" and won a Lifetime Achievement Screen Actors Guild award, so "resurrection" probably wasn't the most appropriate word choice.

Immediately after the game, someone created a "Betty White for SNL host" Facebook fan page. The support the page received was astonishing. As of now, there are more than 600,000 supporters of the Betty White on SNL movement.

I was surprised so many young people were fans of an 88-year-old woman, and I had no idea a Facebook group would start a phenomenon. I thought it was a nice gesture that would be all for naught.

Apparently, NBC (yes, them again) has been paying attention to what fans want. Weeks after the Facebook page got started, rumors began circulating through the media NBC was going after Betty White to host SNL. (Although she wouldn't be the sole host; instead she would be featured in a "Women of Comedy" conglomerate with SNL alumnae Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.) NBC denied these rumors.

Last week, the network changed its stance. Thursday, it announced the comedienne would indeed be hosting SNL solo on May 8. I, for one, can't wait.

Admittedly, it has been a good while since I've watched a whole episode of SNL (I did watch a few clips of Tina Fey's brilliant portrayal of Sarah Palin last year), but I will be tuning in for this one for sure. Betty White is a comedy legend, and she absolutely deserves to be the host of America's most popular late-night sketch comedy show.

And we have Facebook to thank for making everything possible. It just goes to show you how much power all of us have with our social networking Web sites.

It is no mystery the national news media like to use social networking Web sites as news. Every day, CNN, ESPN and even Fox News show tweets on-air as legitimate news sources. Major publications have their own Twitter or Facebook accounts so news is readily available. For example, I am a fan of The Onion and The Maneater on Facebook, so whenever something new happens, I can log onto my profile and get the news without turning on the TV or sifting through online news archives.

In the old days, getting one's voice heard was a baffling ordeal. Now, we can start an online petition and click "send to all" or start a Facebook fan page or group and invite all our friends.

Now, our media consortium is readily catering to the young generation, and for that I give them kudos. They are paying attention to what we like. They know there is huge demand for Betty White. They know there are more than 1.5 million people who prefer a pickle to Nickelback. They are doing something about it.

The media aren't alone, either. Other companies are using Facebook as a platform for advertising. A few months back, Einstein Bagel Company offered all Facebook fans a free bagel. Not only did this increase awareness for their product, but it probably increased business.

The wonders of the Internet are making every person more a part of society. Now, next time you become a fan of "Bring Back Firefly," there is a chance it could actually happen.