{"id":662,"date":"2016-09-29T18:57:28","date_gmt":"2016-09-29T18:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/democracy\/?p=662"},"modified":"2023-04-19T20:19:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T20:19:20","slug":"vote-elections-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smcm.edu\/democracy\/2016\/09\/vote-elections-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"VOTE! Elections and Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SONY<\/p>\n

Text: Linden Goff, Madeline Roth, Cecile Walton
\n<\/span>Pictures: Sandra L. Robbins<\/span><\/p>\n

Social Media and Elections<\/h2>\n

Since the presidential election of 2008, known as \u201cthe Facebook election\u201d due to the Obama campaign\u2019s mastery of the platform, social media\u2019s prevalence as a political tool has only increased in frequency and importance. This new and dynamic dimension to the political conversation was the focus of an evening hosted on September 14<\/span>th<\/span> by the <\/span>Center for the Study of Democracy<\/span><\/i> at St Mary\u2019s College of Maryland. Dr. Leticia Bode and State Senators Cheryl Kagan, Democratic representative from Montgomery County, and Steve Waugh, Republican representative for St. Mary\u2019s County, were invited to participate in this interactive event. Dr. Bode is an assistant professor in Communication, Culture and Technology at Georgetown University and offered an overview of her research in this area. <\/span><\/p>\n

Reaching Out to Disinterested Voters<\/h2>\n

Social media is growing and evolving in its applications and uses. Nearly all US politicians now have multiple platforms of social media to communicate with their constituents and potential voters. Dr. Bode discussed the unique feature of social media as an information medium that offers an opportunity for amplification unlike the traditional media does. More and more disinterested voters are being reached through social media as pertinent articles appear nestled in between cat videos and selfies on the screens. Whilst social media is second to cable news in terms of news source amongst the population as a whole, for young people it is the dominant medium. A total of 35% of Millennials use social media as their preferred news source. \u00a0Dr. Bode cited research that shows that people who engage in politics on social media are more likely to vote and to participate in the political process in other ways. <\/span><\/p>\n

State Senators Make Fast Friends Online<\/h2>\n

Senators Cheryl Kagan (D) and Steve Waugh (R) discussed whether social media compliments or obfuscates the efforts of political campaigns. The discussion was moderated by Atty. Samuel Baldwin, a senior partner and founder of The Law Offices of Baldwin and Briscoe, P.C. \u00a0All agreed that social media certainly makes politicians more approachable. Senator Kagan, describing her own experiences on Facebook and Twitter (the accounts of which she has full control of), highlights how surprising it can be to have folks \u2013 strangers \u2013 come up to her in public with the perception that they know her personally just by her personal, forward presence online. Social media humanizes the political office by engaging both people and politicians. A member of the audience compared twitter to \u201cpassing notes back in forth in a classroom.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Transparency, full disclosure, and frequently updated social media accounts do not always yield positive results. Both state senators and Dr. Bode acknowledged several shortcomings that can be associated with the newest forms of media. Senator Waugh had reservations about the way the national election has been going in the country, with the constant cable media coverage and contentious dialogues online. \u00a0He said: \u201cWhat everyone should keep in mind is that the elections <\/span>will<\/span><\/i> end and we still need to be a country\u201d. Are we to expect a major downfall of social media platforms after the elections are over?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t