The New Political Wheel

Kristen Luca

Politics and political campaigning may be developing a new face on the Internet with the expansion of online social media.

Social media services like Twitter and Facebook allow users to quickly get messages out to large groups of people. According to a recent New York Times article, the tracking firm comScore has measured Twitter’s traffic at 54 million visitors a month. For politicians and political candidates who are committed to getting their names and messages out to their constituents, these Web sites might hold potential.

Samantha Jose, communications director for the Young Democrats at the University of Georgia, said that the Democratic Party has already taken advantage of social media. She referenced President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and his use of Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about his platforms on issues and updates about events.

Jose also thought the Democratic Party takes more advantage of social media services than the Republican Party does. “I’d like to think we’re a little bit quicker on the uptake,” she said.

Matthew Ralston, PR Director for UGA’s College Republicans, said that he thought the Republican Party as a whole was not using social media as much as the Democratic Party. Ralston said at the moment few Republicans were utilizing the services.

“It’s like the wheel has just come out of the sky for them,” Ralston said.

However, he also thought that in the future more Republicans would come to use the services. He pointed to the low cost of social media and their ability to reach many people in just a few clicks.

But social media is not useful only to campaigning politicians. In June, Reuters reported that the U.S. State Department asked Twitter to delay an upgrade that would have shut the service down during the day in Iran. Iranians protesting the presidential election results were using Twitter to speak with each other and get past communication blocks set up by the Iranian government.

Private citizens like the Iranians, more traditionally associated with the expansion of social media, have the opportunity to use social technology not only as an audience but as active participants.

Samantha Jose, of the Young Democrats, thinks that the greatest advantage in using social media to spread political ideas is that citizens are more informed. “Social media allows for debate to be way more instantaneous,” Jose said.

She added that on the Internet, there is no filter for information. Access to publishing software on the Web is cheap and often free, allowing anyone with a connection to upload their thoughts and hold a conversation. However, Jose thinks that the benefits of using social media outweigh the risk of encountering less substantial or non-credible information.

Users can find other benefits to having politicians on Facebook and Twitter, too. Allison Clark, an Advertising major, used social media to find out what political ideas and beliefs her friends and acquaintances held. She looked on Facebook to see what politicians her friends had become ‘fans’ of, and even became a fan of a politician herself.

Allison Clark said that she also believed Democrats used social media “better” than Republicans. “Democrats target a younger audience, so they have to be more knowledgeable” about social media, Allison Clark said. She added, however, “Republicans are getting there.”

People using social media for political purposes can also send messages to their online network in the process. Ben Clark, a UGA student and member of the Young Democrats, says that he ‘friended’ several politicians on Facebook during the 2008 election season. He follows President Barack Obama, Sen. Chris Dodd and former Sen. John Edwards on Facebook.

Having his Facebook accounts associated with the politicians’ is not entirely to read through their updates and messages, though. “During the election,” Ben Clark said, “I wanted everyone to know who I supported.”

Edited by: Megan Niager