Week 9: Politics and the Internet

When I was younger, I had never been one for politics. I'd always found political news cumbersome, complicated and boring. To me, politics was something that real grown ups would take notice of and argue about in the newspapers or dull talk shows. It didn't concern me, and I wouldn't care for displaying my opinions about which party or president I thought fared better.

But the scene for politics have undergone a tremendous change. Politics is now easier to comprehend, more engaging and interactive. I personally feel that it all began with Barack Obama and his presidential campaign back in 2008. Now, running for president doesn't simply entail walking around different houses to shake hands or take photographs with people. The public desires a different kind of buzz, one that involves their participation. 

Obama was on several social media sites to promote his campaign. Each site caters to slightly different demographics and audiences as well as serves different purposes. His Tumblr site, for example, reaches out to the younger demographic who are more Internet-savvy than the usual Facebook-and-Twitter crowd. 

Twitter and Facebook played an incredible role in Obama's campaign. With the use of the two popular social media sites, it was estimated that Obama had won "nearly 70% of the vote among young Americans under 25 - the highest percentage since US exit polling began in 1976". In contrast, his 72-year-old opponent John McCain, who never managed to connect on Facebook in a way Obama did, never stood a chance. The numbers don't lie, either- back during the 2008 elections, Obama could count on over 112,000 tweeters, while John McCain had to contend with a paltry 4,600. (Source) The price tag for his campaign was $16 million, of which $648,000 was spent on his Facebook campaign alone.

Obama's first tweet after his 2012 elections also made history by being the most retweeted of all time (nearly 227,000 RTs). 

On YouTube, Obama made his presence known with some videos, such as speeches, or highly creative ones that break the monotony of an otherwise dry and boring description of Obama Care. I was rather impressed as the video made the healthcare plan easy to understand and fun to watch.

The White House account also uploads speeches from Obama for easy access by the public. Now, anyone is able to go online and view previous talks or conferences at their own convenience.

You might think that that's all there is to Obama's social media campaign- a site on the more recognized and famous sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. But he didn't stop there and instead continued to make his presence known on other sites such as his own website, barackobama.com and even a surprise visit to Reddit, where he answered all sorts of questions spontaneously, ranging from serious questions about funding and laws to personal ones like, "Who is your favorite basketball player?" and the recipe for the White House beer. (Source)

Reddit users were extra surprised when Obama referenced the use of his meme, Not Bad, in a message.

But then again, despite its perks and advantages over traditional media, social media also has its dangers. Comments by Republican Congressman Todd Akin went viral after he opposed abortion, claiming that the bodies of female victims of "legitimate rape" have "ways to shut the whole thing down". He later tried to mend his reputation by releasing another statement to apologize for the previous one, but as we all know- communication is unquestionably irreversible.

(Source)

While Obama's meme is famous for its Too Bad slogan, I'd say Todd Akin's personal meme should be Too Late.

With the public (especially the younger demographics) becoming increasingly well-versed with the Internet and its tools, it's a two way street when it comes to elections. In the past, it was highly one-way- people would just sit in front of the TV or radio to listen to the speeches by the candidates. There were no platforms to ask the candidates questions and no venue to voice your hard and fast opinions. Today, everything is a little more transparent than before. 

Just like how JFK was the first US president to understand television and its potential impacts on his campaign, Obama was likely the first to utilize social media on such a successful scale, and also set a benchmark for all future elections to come.