Social Media and Politics

"We now track every mention of a Senator, House Representative, or Governor. That allows us to build a list of every person that mentions a Democratic incumbent in California, for instance. If they do this multiple times, or for multiple Democratic incumbents in California, we can assume that they are from California." Zachary Green is CEO of 140Elect

You have become more politically involved without your knowledge. Besides potentially being on some list, I have not become more engaged in politics. I follow Barak Obama on twitter, but most of the time I just skip over his tweets. Politicians and political organizations have not effectively reached me. I am skeptical when it comes to articles, videos, and advertisements about politics. There is so much information it is hard to know what is true and what is misinformation.

Yet, when Bo Xilai appeal rejection video was circling the internet I became a little more educated and aware of global politics and history.

So, in my experience social media has been effective in spreading issues and events in a documentary or journalistic manner. Not in promotion and marketing of an individual or cause. Yet, there is lots of room for improvement. Social media tools can enable future candidates and issues to become popular within hours. A catchy jingle, provocative photo, or wise words and spread to millions leaving an impression in the consumers minds. This impression now gives people a frame of reference and familiarity with the person or cause. When it comes time to make a choice the person will always choose what is more familiar.

Graphic Design Quick Tip: Use Pen Tool to Create Unique Path for Typography

Why specialize when you can just be friends with ME?

I work as a Video Journalist for my colleges newspaper. Recently I was asked to cover a music event Chico Unplugged. The show was put together by the students studying music industry and recording arts. 

What do you think one of the most important aspect of videos is?  the audio, it can help to drive home the exact emotion effect the director is going for.

I took this opportunity to get acquainted with the people at my school who love making and recording music. I have lots of experience with filming and video editing, but very little with composing or increasing sound quality. What my productions lack and very much need is an audiophile.

Each building on my campus is devoted to a specific major. People are grouped together based on what they are studying: art, music, theater, engineering, agriculture, psychology, etc. Yet many tasks would be better tackled by a variety of people with a variety of backgrounds. 

Online social networks are built to collect people of similar interests and connect them. Unlike my college, these people are spread out all over the world. Instead of spending the time to go to college to study recording arts, you can join a recording arts forum, and pitch your idea to see if anyone would be interested in helping out on the project. Social networks now allow people from all around the world to work together, collaborate, and share their expertise. 

Some social networks even provide a platform for sharing and collaborating.

There are some differences in building online relationships vs. face to face relationships. Often people who use a particular social network like to see a certain level of dedication to the network, so you may need to invest time into building your presence.