What do you think is the impact of social media on advocacy and politics?
Candidates take note - social media is shaping the future of how (smart) candidates should run political campaigns to reach voters. Gone are the days of only using one-way messaging mediums such as TV, radio and print to campaign for office. There is a new serge of voters (i.e. the millennials) in town and they demand more interaction and if the candidates are not willing to engage, they will take matters into their own hands. The tech savvy voter is now using social media & social networks as a platform to question, debate, and organize like never before.
Voters now have the ability to engage and interact with media & messaging – the relationship is a reciprocal one. Candidates can no longer just put a message out there and move on. They must be prepared for a new level of critique, not just from traditional media (i.e. news reporters), but rather - from voters. How candidates respond to voter responses will actually carry more weight than how they respond to traditional media responses because social media has created a more critical audience who has the ability to ask questions and wants them answered. The voter now how has the ability to engage with and respond to the candidate because social media has allowed them to become media creators, and their reach is very long among their expansive social networks.
To survive the political candidate must not only harness the power of social media, and integrate it into their campaign strategy, in order to reach voters – they must also engage in creating “believable” messaging. Simply using technology is not all it takes, “In fact, technology is only useful when it meshes with the political strategy that a campaign or party has decided upon… the right campaign technology is one that connects as many people as possible, as frequently as possible, to each other – a task for which social networks are ideally suited.” (Winograd/Hais, 2008)
Candidates that ignore the power of social media & networks are in for a big surprise and disappointing numbers on Election Day.
Here is a link to an interesting campaign ad comparison:
http://www.epolitics.com/2008/08/08/john-mccain-v-social-media-the-people-win/
Voters now have the ability to engage and interact with media & messaging – the relationship is a reciprocal one. Candidates can no longer just put a message out there and move on. They must be prepared for a new level of critique, not just from traditional media (i.e. news reporters), but rather - from voters. How candidates respond to voter responses will actually carry more weight than how they respond to traditional media responses because social media has created a more critical audience who has the ability to ask questions and wants them answered. The voter now how has the ability to engage with and respond to the candidate because social media has allowed them to become media creators, and their reach is very long among their expansive social networks.
To survive the political candidate must not only harness the power of social media, and integrate it into their campaign strategy, in order to reach voters – they must also engage in creating “believable” messaging. Simply using technology is not all it takes, “In fact, technology is only useful when it meshes with the political strategy that a campaign or party has decided upon… the right campaign technology is one that connects as many people as possible, as frequently as possible, to each other – a task for which social networks are ideally suited.” (Winograd/Hais, 2008)
Candidates that ignore the power of social media & networks are in for a big surprise and disappointing numbers on Election Day.
Here is a link to an interesting campaign ad comparison:
http://www.epolitics.com/2008/08/08/john-mccain-v-social-media-the-people-win/
Labels: advocacy, political strategy, politics, power of social networking, power of social networks, social media, social media on advocacy and politics, social networks, technology and politics
posted by Tina Indalecio at
11:18 PM
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