Using social media in the political arena

Using social media in the political arena

The 2012 presidential elections are fast approaching and the first of four presidential debates is Wednesday. As the days trickle away, leading up to Tuesday November 6, millions of people will take to social media in a continual effort to sway opinion towards their political ideologies and respective candidates.

Social media was just gathering steam during the last presidential election, but during the last four years, the social media phenomenon has exploded in both worldwide popularity and widespread exposure of opinions, particularly in the political arena. For example, from August 2008 to April 2012, Facebook grew from 100 million members to more than 900 million members, with many voicing their thoughts on politicians, both positive and negative. The daily glut of political postings via Facebook, Twitter et al is so encompassing and far reaching that interest in this year's presidential elections may possibly result in the largest voter turnout ever in American history.

Of course, it's simply speculation and it's up to the American voters to do their part to vote, but in looking back to the previous presidential elections in 2008, interest then was so high, that voters turned out in droves, resulting in the highest percentage of ballots cast in 40 years. In the last round of elections in 2010, nearly a quarter of online Americans used social networking for politics and that percentage is higher this year. With websites like Facebook and Twitter capturing the nation, increased voter interest may also lead a surge of new voters up to the deadline to register for the November presidential elections. After all, a good number of politicians from both sides of the political spectrum have taken to social media and both campaigns have even released their own smart phone apps.

Social media may have also bear a critical role in getting an important segment of the American population to the polling place this year the age group of 18 29 years old, with 86 percent in that category using social media. However a recent poll from the Pew Research Center said "young voters are significantly less engaged in this year's election than at a comparable point in 2008 and now lag far behind older voters in interest in the campaign and intention to vote."

In spite of that report, it's also reasonable to assert that while not everyone in the 18 29 category cares much about the upcoming elections, they're much more informed about the candidates and the political issues than four years ago. But the sagging interest in the elections amongst young voters is alarming in that many of political issues such as health care, education and women's issues will have a tremendous impact on their lives. Be that as it may, it will be interesting to learn how voter turnout will be, regardless of the age category. For American citizens who haven't registered to vote, there is still time but varies from state to state and reports coming out of Florida suggest that people registering to vote are now averaging between 1,500 to 3,000 a day. The cutoff point for most states to register is 30 days before the election but for Californians, it's 15 days before the election.

By the end of this week, the presidential elections will be just 30 days away; 30 days from electing the next President of the United States of America. During this short period of time, social media will play a far more significant role than it did four years prior. Yet the question remains whether Americans will show up to their local polling places and not take for granted their fundamental right to vote.