Digital politics has now entered the social media world. Now that Election Day is here, more and more candidates invest time in doing social media via Facebook and Twitter. Forget that you are looking through personal accounts of John Heckenlively or Republican candidate Thaddeus McCotter. The practice of social media has become a mainstay of the campaign season.
Poll-watching, apparently, is not the only activity that keeps candidates busy nowadays. They’re consistently watching over a different set of numbers too – Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Campaigning in 140 characters would have been unheard of a few years ago but microblogging on Twitter has become a habit for most of these candidates who are eager to become active on Twitter by constantly posting updates and status for their followers. For example, Republican Roy Blunt who is one of the two leading contenders for the U.S. Senate seat from Missouri now has more than 7,700 Twitter followers who can view his photos and shout-outs. Even YouTube gets its share of political candidates. Mike Shoen, the Libertarian candidate for Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District, claims that his video ad is five times better than his opponents’ combined.
From Facebook pages to Twitter followers to amateur YouTube videos, social media and digital politics have become a trend in transition.
Campaigning via social media has become possible because of real-time updates that candidates can optimize to keep everyone posted. This free and direct route is a new means for politicians to become transparent. Social media provides virtual authenticity when a candidate personally sends out messages and interacts with followers, rather than delegating this task to staff members.
Social media’s influence makes it an important player in politics thought it is not touted as a “major driving factor right now,” according to Brent Beshore. Social media as a campaign tool may still be in its infancy but someday may be more influential when it comes to voting. Social media has given candidates the power to integrate supporters in the campaign as well as make them feel appreciated and valued.
