by Christopher Polo

Created on: June 02, 2009

As they will likely tell you, conservative pundits dominate talk radio and television programming with some of the highest ratings ever during their time slots. Millions of Americans watch and listen to their daily message, whether it's attacking the somehow slippery slope of liberalism or warning of the "moral decay" of the country. The impact of conservative commentators like Limbaugh, Beck and O'Reilly on middle-class America for the last few decades cannot be understated enough.

But that does not mean that they affect teenagers to the extent they do adults.

Today's generation is unique in several ways, and these differences are enough to at least alienate many teenagers from the influence of today's conservative pundits. First, many young people do not carry the same prejudices as older ones so they may be more open-minded on issues such as immigration or discrimination. Second, many teenagers are much more willing to accept socially taboo practices such as gay marriage, drug use or pre-marital sex. Finally, teens today are much more connected to both their peers and the world around them through technology than previous generations.

With the rise of the Internet, young people no longer have to rely on commentators to feed them their own political opinion. Instead, more and more young people are basing their opinions from their own deductions and analysis. And, because the Internet itself represents the very type of open-mindedness young people seek, they are more likely to reject conservative personalities and antics as relics of their parent's past.

But, as you would also likely expect, because today's generation is so widely connected, they are somewhat resistant to certain GOP antics and doublespeak. The impact of websites like YouTube and Facebook on a young person's perspective can be truly profound. With a few key strokes and a click of a mouse, an entire list of friends can be notified of your thoughts on a particular article or video you've shared with them.

So, when Limbaugh states that he hopes Obama will "fail," or O'Reilly bullies through another one of his interviews, the people will know sooner of it later, even if they don't watch the show. Overtime, this "public record" of such clips and interviews posted on the internet can easily sway public opinion among teens against such personalities. And, when highlighted by humorous figures such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, young people cannot help but laugh at men like Limbaugh,

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