In this essay, I will first examine the use of social media in previous presidential election campaigns in the United States since 2004. I will then describe the importance of social media campaigns to reach voters. Next, I will analyze social media use of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump during the primaries of the 2016 Presidential election campaign. Through comparisons and contrasts, I will subsequently address how Bernie Sanders was able to use social media more effectively than Donald Trump in reference to audience, engagement, and primary election results. This essay argues that the importance of social media in order to transmit political messages is becoming increasingly important, and that Bernie Sanders was able to more effectively …show more content…
Specifically, American presidential candidates’ actions on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Myspace, has evolved over time in order to have direct contact with potential voters. Despite being…, the 2004 presidential campaign is the commencement of digital media and some forms of social media (). However, because of the text-based nature of the Internet, the lack of videos and images was not conducive to reaching a wide audience or attracting potential supporters. The subsequent presidential campaign of 2008 truly established the foundation for personal and immediate communication between candidates and the people through social media, including the use of images, infographics, and videos. In fact, during the 2008 presidential campaign, “16 of the 19 candidates linked on their campaign websites to an official Myspace account” (Pew Research Center 2016, 34), the most popular form of social media at the time. Moreover, it is important to note that democratic candidates were able to reach a broader audience on social media than republican. In fact, then Senator Obama was the only candidate with over 100,000 online supporters – far short of the audience reached in 2016 – while most others had less than 40,000 followers (Pew Research Center 2016). By the 2012 presidential campaign, candidates were mastering the use of various social media to connect with Americans and bring in potential …show more content…
As a dark horse candidate in the Democratic race to the nomination, Sanders effectively promoted his messages on social media, catering to his primarily young followers. Social media served as a way to amplify his progressive policy and social ideas to his young and large left-leaning online supporters. As there is a shift from traditional media to social media, “the architecture of how we consume and share information online has begun to do the same to a very different class of left-wing voters” (Auerbach 2016). That is, Sanders was able to easily and effectively bring together mass enthusiasm of left-wing individuals, building an organization from the
Malcolm Gladwell’s article "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted" raises a significant question about the prospective contribution of web-based social networking to the advent of progressive social movement and change. Gladwell bold declaration that "the revolution will not be tweeted" is reflective of his view that social media has no useful application in serious activism. Contrasting various elements of the “high-stakes” lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960’s with the “low-stakes” activism achieved through social media, Gladwell concludes that effective social movements powerful enough to impose change on longstanding societal forces require both “strong ties” among participants and the presence of a hierarchical organizations. In contrast, Gladwell characterizes the social networks as an interwoven web of "weak ties" that is inherently devoid of a hierarchy. Gladwell’s prerequisites for social movement are firmly based in strong body of sociological evidence, but his views regarding the nature of online social networks are laughably lacking in foresight and obstructed by a misleadingly selective body of evidence.
In Nicholas Carr’s article “How Social Media Is Ruining Politics”, Carr writes about the effects that social media has on politics. In his article, Carr focuses more on the negative effect that social media has when it comes to politics. Some points that he makes about social media include specific examples like the recent presidential campaigns, how other technological advances over the years have effected politics, and the effectiveness that social media has on politics
The purpose of this article is to persuade the reader that social media is the new alternative to mainstream big money ads for politicians. Cary’s intended audience is politicians, political campaign managers and politically engaged citizens. The tone of this article is informative but slightly opinionated. While Cary does back up her claims with notable quotes and statistics the main support for her argument is her professional opinion. Cary was formerly the
Malcolm Gladwell’s article "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted" raises a significant question about the prospective contribution of web-based social networking to the advent of progressive social movement and change. Gladwell’s bold declaration that "the revolution will not be tweeted" is reflective of his view that social media has no useful application in serious activism. Contrasting various elements of the “high-stakes” lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960’s with the “low-stakes” activism achieved through social media, Gladwell concludes that effective social movements powerful enough to impose change on longstanding societal forces require both “strong ties” among participants and the presence of a hierarchical organizations. In contrast, Gladwell characterizes the social networks as an interwoven web of "weak ties" that is inherently devoid of a hierarchy. Gladwell’s prerequisites for social movement are firmly based in strong body of sociological evidence, but his views regarding the nature of online social networks are laughably lacking in foresight and obstructed by a misleadingly selective body of evidence.
Malcolm Gladwell’s article "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted" raises a significant question about the prospective contribution of web-based social networking to the advent of progressive social movement and change. Gladwell’s bold declaration that "the revolution will not be tweeted" is reflective of his view that social media has no useful application in serious activism. Contrasting various elements of the “high-stakes” lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960’s with the “low-stakes” activism achieved through social media, Gladwell concludes that effective social movements powerful enough to impose change on longstanding societal forces require both “strong ties” among participants and the presence of a hierarchical organizations. In contrast, Gladwell characterizes the social networks as an interwoven web of "weak ties" that is inherently devoid of a hierarchy. Gladwell’s prerequisites for social movement are firmly based in strong body of sociological evidence, but his views regarding the nature of online social networks are laughably lacking in foresight and obstructed by a misleadingly selective body of evidence.
Social media has changed the game of politics. In today’s world, with the public looking to smartphones and tablets as their primary source of news, politicians have been forced to adapt the tone and content of their message to fit this new, more connected audience. Perhaps no politician understands this more than notorious billionaire, real estate tycoon, and now presidential candidate, Donald Trump. Through utilization of social media, more specifically Twitter, combined with his disregard for sounding too extreme or politically incorrect, Trump has gained a massive web audience - over four million followers and
One of the properties that allow social media to be an attractive tool to use by politicians is the ability to attract a massive audience of users. The Pew Research Center suggests that there is a growing number of social media users. A whooping 73% of US adults use the internet (Social Networking Fact Sheet). These...
Presently, two hundred million users send upward of 140 million messages per day, 140-character musings studded with misspellings, slang, and abbreviations. Moreover, it includes harsh truths, memes and also lies. But it has become the most important public sphere for a global, inclusive audience. Therefore, social media sphere like twitter that has often been discredited or not valued as real public engagement has actually transformed itself into the most global, inclusive public sphere where the public is able to engage — whether truthfully or not — and to become more aware and reflective. The public informs the state and especially in a situation where the public is as polarized as in the case of the 2016 American elections, social media especially twitter can be a tool by which the public can still engage with each other to be better
As stated by Tim Highfield “whereas in 2004 the Howard Dean campaign for the Democratic nomination for that year’s US Presidential election was a novelty in some regards for its internet strategy […], politicians and candidates having a social media presence is now more expected and mundane” (2016, p.123). With this is mind, the following essay will aim to describe and explain Dr. Kellie Leitch’s use of social media between April 20th, 2017 and April 23rd, 2017—just a little over a month before the Conservative party’s leadership race’s elections (Leblanc, & Stone, 2017). It will focus mainly on her choice of communication channels—with an emphasis on Facebook— as well as the key messages Leitch used. Communications Channel and Types of Messages
The researchers present findings that indicate that a politician’s popularity in the voting booth may be related to the frequency with which the candidate is talked about on social media. The researchers goes on to discuss how further research may conclude that social media has a bigger impact on voting outcomes than traditional forms of media, and how that could potentially shape the future of voting.
Winograd, Morley, and Michael D. Hais. Millennial Makeover [electronic Resource] : MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 2008. DiscoverE. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .
The changes in social media implied that many people got in touch with the political candidates either directly or indirectly. The people watched their potential leaders of the nation and were able to question them (Mutz 2001).
The purpose of this essay is to develop a further understanding of the impact of social media in regards to the political debate. By looking at the topic of social media and the use of rhetoric in response to politics in the 21st century, a deeper understanding of the issue can be established. Social media has become a primary source for the discussion of politics by the average citizen whether through the sharing of articles, “memes”, advertisements or personal expository statements. As a result, large sums of information and ideas are spread rapidly across a wide variety of subjects. However, much of this information may not be accurate and could be misinterpreted.
Social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Flicker, internet websites, and blogs are becoming mainstream attracting a younger more technology savvy voter. Many candidates in the last elections learned to use these mediums so not to overlook tech savvy voters and learned how to use these to their advantage. Candidates took to the internet to raise awareness, state views, and even successfully raised donations. Social media was able to provide instant feedback on the standing of a candidate often days or weeks sooner than a more traditional poll.
"How Obama Won the Social Media Battle in the 2012 Presidential Campaign." Pamela Rutledge Media Psychology Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.