As the election cycle continues to churn out news worthy politics, social media continues to play an integral part in the political media. Whether it’s spreading the most recent political news or gaffes, or helping campaigns reach the masses, social media continues to be a strong presence in the election. This brings to mind the question that has often been mentioned in past posts, but has yet to be directly addressed with its own post. What is the political power of social media?
Blogger Abdul Majeed Abid tackles this question by analyzing the 2008 presidential election. In his article, Abid argues that Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign was shaped by social media and its users. Obama’s campaign invested $16 million on internet media, consequently, Obama’s presence in social media dominated McCain’s. These tactics likely rallied younger and more left leaning voters to the polls, which resulted in Obama’s convincing win.
Prominent writer Clay Shirkey takes a more global approach to the question. In his article The Political Power of Social Media, Shirkey provides numerous examples of political movements using social media to organize political change. One such movement in Moldova overthrew the Communist Party following obviously fraudulent elections. Another notable example is the Egyptian revolution and Arab spring, which overthrew former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
The Arab spring, coordinated using social media, has spread throughout the Arab world
Shirkey goes on to say, “social media have become coordinating tools for nearly all of the world’s political movements, just as most of the world’s authoritarian governments (and, alarmingly, an increasing number of democratic ones) are trying to limit access to it.” This statement emphasizes the power and problem with social media’s influence.
As it’s becoming more apparent that social media has the power to overthrow governments, many regimes and states are trying to censor and control how social media is used. Consequently, some authoritarian governments have used social media to control dissidents and maintain power.
It’s undeniable that social media is a strong player in politics, regardless of where you are. For less stable governments, history has taught us that social media has the power to overthrow them or maintain their status of power. For more developed countries such as the U.S., social media can rally voters to the polls and organize effective protests. If politicians ignore social media’s growing influence, it’s unlikely they’ll be in a seat of power for much longer.
Political Frontiers 