Social Media as a Major Tool in The US Presidential Elections
Four years ago, Barack Obama used social media websites Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to relay his message of Change to the whole world. More importantly he got his message to an incredible amount of United States citizens, and not only won the elections to become the latest President Of The United States, but also to change the political game forever.
Using Social Media is Now Common Use
Take a look at every single one of the main candidates and you will notice they all have state of the art, well designed websites and links to all their social profiles. It’s not just the main three anymore, you can look beyond Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. You can find them anywhere there’s someone to listen to them.
It’s no surprise that this has become standard place for politicians, it’s cheaper than TV and Radio advertising and you can reach many more people, and also engage them and communicate directly with them. Just last month, President Obama got personal and video chatted live on a Google Plus Hangout.
Social Media Equals Controversy
You’ve heard of the expression: “Guns don’t kill people, people do“. Well it’s the same thing for social media, it’s not the means of communication that creates the controversy, but what the person using it does with it.
Just like speaking live in person, on TV, on the radio, or even in print, controversy will be there if the person either makes a mistake or sometimes creates it on purpose. Either way it’s the person that is the cause, not social media.
Predicting the Winners via Social Media
The analytics coming through social media are proving to be very good, at least equal if not better than surveys that are usually done throughout the elections. Predictions are just predictions however, and in politics, a persons views about a candidate can change in a matter of minutes, so you can’t assume the win is in the bag before it’s all said and done.
In the end, social media, is very similar to other means in the sense that it must be done strategically, but it’s also very different because it’s cheaper, and can go and engage people in a way that we never used to see. Social media is here to stay, and will only get used more and more in the future.
Do you think there’s room in social media for politicians and their agendas?
Article by Jamie Northrup
I’m a Canadian web consultant based in Montreal. I have been working online since 1995 and have experience in web development, web design, e-commerce, eBay, social networking and online marketing
Jamie has written 6 articles for Bloggers Network
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Twitter: thedankeller
says:
It is amazing how influential and important social media has become and I agree it will have a huge impact on the upcoming elections. I think the candidate who utilizes social media the best will be victorious
Dan Keller recently posted..Top 5 Video Cards for Best Performance at the Best Price
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
I agree Dan, I think that’s how Obama won in 2008, and think the winner will be the candidate who utilizes social media the best. This time around Obama has stiffer competition.
Jamie Northrup recently posted..2012 Is When Mobile Blogging Goes Big!
Twitter: amyfrebis
says:
Nowadays, social media has become an important tool to get talking and share news,entertainment,economics,politics and cultures. It is a result of social development. We can communicate in this good platform.
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
Exactly Amy, it’s a viable way to communicate with a large part of the worlds population about any subject.
Jamie Northrup recently posted..You Can Find Me On Blog Engage!
Its really amazing and good to hear that social media is part of election now..I agree that social media is a big help..
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
It helps give everyone a voice, even someone that isn’t in the spotlight can get his voice heard through Twitter or Facebook.
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Twitter: SeoRizwan
says:
Hey Jammie,
Mostly people used Social media instead and it’s easy to interact people so I don’t think is that bad idea to used it for election purpose.
Rizwan Sultan recently posted..Crohn\’s Blog
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
Absolutely Rizwan, I know some people actually prefer social media networking over physical networking.
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Twitter: davesnape
says:
Jamie, it will be very interesting to see how Social Media plays into the upcoming election. There are still a lot of older Americans who do not use or care about social media. But they may be more awake now and they may want their voices heard more than last time. We will see. another good post!
David recently posted..Credit Card Company Complaint Options
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
You’re right about the older generation David, they are still around an account for a big %, but every day more and more of the tech generation are growing into the older generation.
I predict (well I think we all do lol) that it will just get more and more important as we move on in time.
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Twitter: davesnape
says:
Yes, the younger generations are getting older and new people are born daily, there WILL be more and more that are tech savvy as time goes by. Let’s hope we can keep up! LOL
David recently posted..Blog Monetization: Lifetime vs One Time Commissions
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
Lol I hope so too!
Jamie Northrup recently posted..Why I Don’t Do Video Marketing
True! I can say that in social media, everything is really possible.. Thank you for sharing this! This is so very informative.
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
My pleasure Nicole, glad you enjoyed it
Jamie Northrup recently posted..Why I Don’t Do Video Marketing
So true! Social Media really is one of the most influential tool nowadays.. I really enjoyed reading your blog..
Nicole03 recently posted..Learn Chinese
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
It’s so influential, and it’s easily accessible to anyone, so everybody has a chance of being heard, thanks for the comment Nicole
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I know that this coming election, social media will served as a gateway to conduct our election into suitable process without magic…
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Twitter: deucegroup
says:
You’re absolutely right Ms Harrison, no more hocus pocus!
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Twitter: lvlupmarketing
says:
It will definitely be interesting to see how Social Media plays out through the entire election process. If anyone doesn’t make use of it they will definitely be at a disadvantage.
Abe recently posted..How To Monetize Your Website Or Blog With Affiliate Marketing
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
You’re right Abe, it’s a must nowadays, however they need to use it properly or else they can end up causing more damage than good.
Jamie Northrup recently posted..The Lil Wayne Guide to Producing Content
Twitter: iapprovethismsg
says:
The campaign that can best target a majority of convey a meaningful message to those voters where they and when they are there will win. With that in mind, insofar as social media reaches those targeted voters in a meaningful way it will be influential. I like to coach it in those broad terms because the channel isn’t what’s important, it’s the voter and the message. When a campaign understand those, it can identify the best method to get that winning message to that voter.
Ben Donahower recently posted..By: bendonahower
Twitter: deucegroup
says:
You’re right Ben, that’s why it’s important to use all channels to reach as many people as possible.
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