Changing Politics. Where are we heading?

 

Changing Politics. Where are we heading?

Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have revolutionized political practices in the United States and other democracies. According to Bennett and Pfetsch, political communication and related fields like the press and politics are based on the interaction between the social factors that determine audiences, the communication mechanisms that deliver messages, and the impacts of those processes. Today, the widespread use of social media in politics has transformed political practices by altering the aspects of political communication, thanks to the capacity of social media platforms to produce content and distribute it to millions of people instantly.

Internet Voting

The widespread use of social media has led political scientists and cybersecurity officials to propose online voting to improve transparency in election results. These online voting suggestions can increase voter turnout in future elections. Bradley Tusk, Uber's first political adviser and a major proponent of internet voting, funded the working group. The group was established two years ago and comprises computer security experts and professionals meeting regularly at the University of California, Berkeley. The group is working to ensure the future security of online ballot returns. Tusk informed  NPR in 2021 that he wanted every American to be able to vote on their smartphones by the 2028 election. Since security experts criticized his initial ventures into the voting area, his foundation has worked more closely with the cybersecurity industry.

The group, unfortunately, reported that "the current cybersecurity environment and state of technology make it infeasible for the Working Group to draft responsible standards to support the use of internet ballot return in U.S. public elections at this time.” Despite this negative report from cybersecurity experts, more states are making this option available, and every federal election already has online voting. More than 300,000 Americans voted online in 2020, indicating a high possibility of online voting.

Virtual Political

Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have become crucial for campaign coordination. They make it simple for like-voters and activists of similar ideologies to spread the word about upcoming campaign events with their "share" and "retweet" buttons. With the continuing use of social media, the political landscape will shift as well. There will be a rise in social media polling methods, which will improve their precision. There will be an increase in online town hall meetings and other political gatherings. The influence of social media on politics is only expected to grow as its use becomes more widespread. It will be fascinating to watch how this develops in the future.

Direct Interaction with Political Leaders

In the past, local populations couldn't engage with political leaders. Social media is increasingly making it possible for voters to talk directly via live streams on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, among other platforms. Voters can raise their concerns to the candidates and elected authorities. Before the advent of the internet, the only way to meet a politician or candidate in person was to travel to an event. This is something that only some can do. Technology has made it feasible to participate in live-streamed events and have conversations with candidates and elected officials without ever leaving your home.

Targeting and demographics

Social media structures make it possible to target particular groups. Social media analytics provide political campaigns with a plethora of data that can be used to target specific audiences with tailored messages. A campaign may discover that a message that resonates with voters over the age of 30 resonates better with those over 60.

Currently, Ad agencies utilize targeting techniques to ensure the intended audiences receive their messages. Politicians and candidates for office in today's era of social media have a much better chance of reaching their intended audiences using the same techniques as ad agencies.

A political candidate can now specifically target women, college students, retirees, Latinos, or any other subset of voters to win their support through social media targeting mechanisms. Just as Facebook advertisers can employ analytics and tailored ads, so too can politicians. So, if you feel like political ads directly address you, it's okay.

Fundraising

"Money bombs" are a method some campaigns employ to amass significant sums of money rapidly. A money bomb is a 24-hour period during which a candidate solicits donations from their supporters. Kreighbaum explains that a money bomb is a rapid-fire pledge drive, typically lasting no more than a day. When executed well, this strategy can breathe new life into a campaign, bolstering other forms of mobilizing and drawing attention to the campaign's more established advantages. Democratic consultant Harold Cook thinks the true measure of a successful money bomb is not the amount of money raised but rather the depth of support. Harold Cook claims that a true leader can reach out to their followers and say, "Here's what I need," and have them respond positively.

Politicians spread the news to platforms like Twitter and Facebook, frequently linking these money bombs to controversies arising during elections. For instance, in his 2008 presidential run, the presidential campaign of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul led some of the most successful money-bomb fundraising drives in history. He raised more than $4.2 million in a day, attracting the national media, grassroots activists, and other campaign strategists. The increasing use of social media for campaigns continues to pave the way for politicians to adopt the "money bomb" method in future election campaigns.

Political Polls

Analysis of social media data utilizing new Big Data and AI technologies presents a promising prospect. As opposed to traditional polls, these techniques can deliver unsolicited snapshots of public opinion that are measured at significantly greater frequencies and are based on larger samples. Policymakers and politicians can benefit from examining social media data for insights.

Although some studies have posed substantial criticism of using social media for political polls, certain results indicate that the data is an opportunity to forecast election events. In particular, the overall practicality of using Twitter to predict election results has been questioned due to methodological shortcomings, as explained in a study by Pekar et al. (2022). The proliferation of daily poll results online reflects the internet's overall impact on disseminating political news.

The rise of social media has just sped up the process. The outcomes of polls are reported on social media sites, and you may even participate in Facebook polls yourself. People may decide not to vote for the underdog if they believe one candidate has a significant lead. For this reason, political candidates face intense pressure to gain ground on their opponents when poll results are constantly being shared on social media. Nevertheless, political polls will increasingly be conducted through social media platforms.

Sources

Kreighbaum, A. (2010). Bombs Away! The Texas Tribune. Retrieved from https://www.texastribune.org/2010/05/03/money-bombs-a-new-political-organizing-tool/

Parks, M. (2021). The Push for Internet Voting Continues, Mostly Thanks To One Guy. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1040999446/internet-voting-phones-tusk-grant

Pekar, V., Najafi, H., Binner, J. M., Swanson, R., Rickard, C., & Fry, J. (2022). Voting intentions on social media and political opinion polls. Government Information Quarterly, 39(4), 101658. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0740624X21000940