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.