Use of Social Media in Elections

The Obama campaign in 2008 is known as a trailblazing and groundbreaking use of social media in political campaigns. Obama was one of the first politicians to fully embrace social media, and use it heavily to his advantage.

According to Shirky, the Obama campaign demonstrated a “mature use” of social media by integrating it into their campaign strategy. By using social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook the Obama campaign was able to easily reach millions of Americans. They used these platforms to build communities and they used targeted messaging to get voters and to raise money for his campaign. The Obama campaign encouraged viewers to share their own stories, and they engaged with very diverse demographics. Furthermore, they targeted specific voter groups. Overall the Obama campaign was able to use social media to maximize its exposure and its messaging.

Since Obama’s campaign, social media has become a cornerstone for all politicians. Politicians now are leveraging social media to gain followers and ensure election. Donald Trump heavily targeted people on Facebook and Twitter with aggressive rhetoric which ultimately led to him being elected as president. While I don't necessarily agree with the things Donald Trump said and did, his social media presence and campaign team did a very good job of garnering voters and followers. Additionally, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez used platforms like Twitter and Instagram to connect with a younger demographic which helped her win her election race for Congress in 2018. Lastly, Bernie Sanders also successfully reached a diverse audience by showing a commitment to grassroots engagement.