Social Media - a Valuable Campaign Tool?

Barack Obama was the first president to use social media. Elected in 2008, Obama was the first president to really have the opportunity to use social media as a tool to communicate with the American people during his election and presidency.

During his campaign, he used social media to share his ideas, gain support, and raise funds. It became an interesting transition where suddenly a candidate was able to communicate with his supporters directly through the internet on a more personal and relatable level. Speeches, debates, etc. were still important, but social media really took shape as a critical method of campaigning. Obama’s odds were stacked against him. At the time, he was a little-known Senator running for the Democratic spot against Hilary Clinton — who was a household name. During his TED Talk, Clay Shirky explains that Obama used social media in a “mature” way. He didn’t use social media as a means to denounce his opponents. Instead, Obama used social media in a positive way to convey his message and connect with voters. He needed to be creative and innovative to spread his message and times were changing at just the right moment as social media had started to take shape as an influential part of our lives.

Obama didn’t stop using social media as a tool after he was elected. He brought “social media strategy” to the White House. The White House can now reach more people without the filter of the traditional media, target its audience with precision, and receive quick feedback. Social media broadened the White House’s touch and has reached audiences that weren’t listening before. In 2015, nearly half of web-using adults received their political news directly from Facebook. It would be foolish to not capitalize and use social media to spread news, information, and ideas.

Overall, Presidential candidates, organizations, and charities can all gain a substantial boost in support by using social media channels, which cost next to nothing and are easily tapped by anyone with an internet connection. Obama was very intelligent to use social media as a positive way to gain the trust and support of the American people. Times were changing the traditional ways of campaigning needed to evolve as well.

Sources:

Aaker, Jennifer, and Professor. “Obama and the Power of Social Media and Technology.” Stanford Graduate School of Business, https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/obama-power-social-media-technology.

Wharton Business Daily North America. “How Social Media Is Shaping Political Campaigns.” Knowledge@Wharton, https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-social-media-is-shaping-political-campaigns/.

Bogost, Ian. “Obama Was Too Good at Social Media.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 6 Jan. 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/01/did-america-need-a-social-media-president/512405/.

Eilperin, Juliet. “Here’s How the First President of the Social Media Age Has Chosen to Connect with Americans.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Oct. 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2015/05/26/heres-how-the-first-president-of-the-social-media-age-has-chosen-to-connect-with-americans.

Shearer, Elisa. “86% Of Americans Get News Online from Smartphone, Computer or Tablet.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 12 Jan. 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/12/more-than-eight-in-ten-americans-get-news-from-digital-devices/.

Shirky, Clay. “How Social Media Can Make History — Clay Shirky.” TED, TED-Ed, https://ed.ted.com/lessons/clay-shirky-how-social-media-can-make-history.

Photo Credit:

Bogost, Ian. “Obama Was Too Good at Social Media.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 6 Jan. 2017.