Viral Politics: Social Media's Role in Upcoming Elections

Many pundits believe that Barack Obama’s effective use of the Internet contributed to his victory. And over the past several months, a few high-profile Republican candidates have made the most of social networking and wormed their way into blue-state offices. Despite its relative youth, social networking has become nearly as influential and dominant in the American consciousness as traditional media outlets. Web users can become friends or fans on Facebook, follow on Twitter, subscribe on YouTube, and share their opinions on a person-to-person level. And that, for politics, is key.

A simple, low-cost form of advertising, social media has already begun to change the election process for two reasons. Politics is no longer local: What began as meetings in the town square has evolved into a massive, virtual platform for dialogue on critical issues. This allows not only virtual contact with potential constituents, but also out-of-state support. Even state, county, and city elections now draw attention from across the country. And politics isn’t just for “old fogies” either. Using social networks helps politicians appear more accessible to younger generations, especially teenagers and young adults, who are usually – and accurately – pegged as the demographic least likely to vote. Simple awareness of a name or a face could spark interest and a desire to vote.

Scott Brown knew how to work the Internet. His special election campaign exemplifies how social media can be used to a politician’s advantage. Since Brown entered the race as the underdog, his campaign relied heavily on advertising and launched a website; Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr accounts; an iPhone app; and a customized Ning network, Brown Brigade. He presented potential voters with frequent updates, pushing for word-of-mouth support. A study by Larry Kim, founder of WordStream Internet Marketing, reveals just how effectively Brown used social media to his advantage. As of January 14, Martha Coakley had acquired only about 9,000 Facebook fans while Brown had 41,050. Coakley had a mere 2,674 Twitter followers; Brown had over 7,000. Also notable is that Brown frequently replied to other users’ tweets, effectively creating a channel of communication with voters. Coakley had just over 24,000 YouTube upload views… and Brown had over 223,000. His online fundraising efforts were wildly successful, with 97 percent of over $15 million in donations coming from individuals and a significant portion from states other than Massachusetts. Alexa, a company that rates Internet usage, reported that Brown had a 10:1 advantage in overall web traffic.

Despite the heavy liberal history weighing him down, Scott Brown managed to stay afloat – and win – in Massachusetts. Politicians who put effort into using social media intelligently, in addition to usual campaign strategies, can achieve an unprecedented level of contact with constituents. Upcoming candidates would do well to take advantage of social media early in the process.

Politics has gone viral. And November is coming.