Social Media Influence On Presidential Elections

These people do not realize the prevalence of an even greater form of literature. That form of literature is social media. In recent years, social media has quickly become one of the most powerful platforms on the planet for marketing, networking and social connection. In his Anchor article, author Jack Wolff describes the impact of social media on politics when he states, “It is indeed one of the best ways to get ideas out to a large amount of people in an incredibly short period of time. As a result some people in the government have become incredibly proficient, and even proliferous in their use of social media” (Wolff). As Wolff is saying, social media trends are having an increased effect on the political world and campaigns. Just like Wolff stated, social media allows for a connection between politics and the average person. A prime example in the political world is in the 2010 race in Massachusetts in which Martha Coakley and Scott Brown were both running for a senate seat. Martha Coakley minimum campaigning, while Scott Brown campaigned on the greater scale. As a result of his campaigning, he won the election. Having a connection with voters increases your chances of winning an election in the political world. Aspects and methods such as social media allow for a candidate to become well liked and enjoyable to the voters. This in turn allows for a more successful campaign. To show the increasing

Although social media can be powerful for voicing opinions and thoughts to a wide variety of people within minutes, it does not involve strong-tie connections and therefore results with less participates interested in the commitment and high risks necessary to catalyze a

Background: Technological advances have made way for various avenues of communication such as text and multimedia messaging. Since its induction, social media has captivated users of all ages and has become a common staple in households across the United States and has had a significant impact on American culture.

In his article “Inside Bernie Sanders’s Social Media”, journalist Michael Grothaus discussed how the Democratic nominee hopeful has dominated social media. His piece for the website of magazine Fast Company pointed the similarities between Sanders’ use of social media compared to that of Barack Obama’s in 2008 and explained how the Sanders campaign has used social media to mobilize his movement. All of the points Grothaus made in his article required the use of rhetoric: either ethos, logos, or pathos. Grothaus employed these strategies by citing experts on the use of social media in presidential campaigns, analyzing the effect social media has on campaigns, and showing how social media has brought people together for the campaign.

Papacharissi define a public space as a ‘forum of political deliberation’ (The Virtual Sphere 2002), whilst a public sphere is defined as something the ‘internet could facilitate…that promotes a democratic exchange of ideas and opinions’ (The Virtual Sphere 2002). One of the main questions asked from reading this article is, does a public space really create a democratic society? The effects of the internet on politics are still being argued, as it is still unknown if the technology is benefiting politics or if politics are being ignored due to technology. I strongly believe that the internet and cyberspace is having both positive and negative effects on politics. By creating forums on the internet, every computer-user has access to raise and voice their opinion. People are able to express their perceptions and arguments online. As Papacharissi alludes to, this is an easier alternative to protesting, marching, conducting surveys and lobbying parliament. The internet is also able to reach an extended audience through social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. For example, Wade Noonan (Labour MP) has joined Facebook and become ‘friends’ with many youths of Melbourne’s West. He has done this in an attempt to connect youths to politics but also to gain the votes of community members in the next election. Politicians are taking to the internet to convey their

Social media has a major effect on today’s society. People are being manipulated, influenced, and even brainwashed from apps and websites they use every day. Social media is used to hold social interactions, promote events or products, and keep people up to date on all kinds of news. Because social media can do so much for its users, it basically controls every aspect of their lives. In Aldous Huxley’s, “Brave New World”, social media wasn’t controlling their society, but other technologies like the Bokonovsky’s Process, the Feelies, and Soma were. In today’s society, social media platforms engage their users and are able to manipulate them by making social media use the reality, influencing people to be bolder and more outgoing, and sharing

Social media offers several kinds of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Gmail, YouTube, and among other things, which enable the users to communicate and participate to broader range of issues and events worldwide. For example, one can converse with a stranger and be inform about social dilemmas using a certain type of SNS and thus forms a

Each year numerous amount of people become a social media user. The eMarketer website estimated that by 2019 “there will be around 2.77 billion social media users around the globe, up from 2.46 billion in 2017” (1). A great deal of those users utilizes social media to communicate their opinion to other users; as a matter of fact, these users might change their perspective a certain person might have on a topic. Social media is a marketing tool, therefore people utilize those social media platforms to pursue, and even manipulate the public to think in a certain way; hence, why social media can influence the public opinion.

The increase in political activism may only be taking part in some areas of society, while it should also be noted that the expansion and intensity of information has increased to a point where people can be seen walking down the street or driving their cars whilst flicking through their timeline on Facebook. These individuals are most likely not engaging with social media to find out where the next rally is taking place, however the more ‘networking’ which occurs, the greater the likelihood is that people will be exposed to a vaster number of ideas. In this context it is worth noting the uses and gratifications model which identifies the various reasons as to why people interact with forms of media and particularly the sorts of information

The rise of social networking has been a hallmark of the early 21st century. In the past decade, sites such as Facebook and Twitter grew to become not only a tool for building personal connections, but also a powerful platform for spreading ideas and broadcasting expressions. Coinciding with this explosion of online social activities, meanwhile, is the public’s growing detachment from traditional corporate media. In a 2017 study, Pew Research Center found that two-thirds of Americans now access news from social media, a significant increase from just one year ago (Shearer). Given the key role Facebook plays in delivering information and shaping the perspective of its users, it is important for the company to develop a cohesive framework that

In 2012, Barack Obama and his opponent Romney had used several social media platforms, including Spotify, Pinterest and Instagram. Although many users expressed their annoyance about the campaign advertisement, the figures never lie: Barack Obama’s Facebook page had attracted over 30 million likes since his time as a presidential nominee (Lee). In 2008, President Obama’s campaign was also praised for its innovative use of social media to engage young voters. According to a survey by Pew Research, 39% of American adults have used social media to do at least one of eight political or civic activities and younger users are more likely to post their thoughts on politics than those who were 50 and older (Computer Business Review). Therefore, social media helps

The use of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media has changed the way politicians and citizens handle politics. And because of the influence of social networking sites, it have been adopted by political figures. Almost every candidate running for political position, would create a campaign through social media to communicate with the constituents. Whether it's about getting votes, or trying to get people's attention about an important cause, social media in all its platforms is the easiest way to advertise about it without having to pay for the advertising. Based on the research done on the U.S. Congressmen’s voting decisions, it’s proven that social media can have a huge effect on decision making. Also, social

Children’s lives have quickly shifted onto the Internet in the twenty-first century. Even the President of the United States has nearly forty thousand Twitter and Instagram posts. Social networks are websites that allow users to interact over the Internet. There are 600 million Facebook users across the globe (Rosenwald 2). 300 million visit Twitter every month (Maney 3). So many people are on one network online, social media has essentially become a second world. That being said, social media should not be encouraged to the public. At first use, social media does not seem dangerous, but it is. These sites diminish its user’s privacy to the point that it is accepted (Anderson 1). Not only do social networks hurt us, but users use it in a way for emotional self-harm. People constantly compare their real life to others virtual lives (Stephens-Davidowitz 1). Additionally, social media tends to make users less social in reality, contrary to the name. Modern technology is not always a good thing, sometimes it needs to be limited.

Social media was developed to link people to the world and is an effortlessly convenient method for communication. Due to this, people are able to get in touch with just about anyone from all over the world and it no doubt has an incredible amount of influence on our lives. However, not all of it may be positive. Almost everyone is aware of how social media impacts us on a micro scale, but what about the influence it has on a macro level? Interestingly enough, it has taken a tremendous toll on politics.

The purpose of this report is to find out how public relations professionals are using social media, the impact and implications this new media have on the public relations profession and how public relations professionals value these new media as a means to communicate with the public.