Over the years, advances in the technological field have led to a significant transformation of the campaign media system. Additionally, technology has modified the manner in which political candidates wage their campaigns, as well as the methods through which journalists report campaign issues. Campaign media has increased and become extremely dominant with each passing election. Likewise, political candidates in the modern world use advanced media approaches by incorporating ever transforming media innovations during campaigns (Owen, 2014). Social platforms foster a civic culture among younger voters. The civic culture enables voters to feel like they are a critical part of the democratic process. Caplan (2013) argues that social platforms are accessible twenty-four hours a day, allowing individuals to voice their political views, as well as learn and comprehend issues pertaining to the political process. The expansion of the American suffrage has fostered the modification of campaign strategies, to meet the diversified needs of the voting population. Social media has impacted a tremendous transformation in the manner in which political campaigns are carried out, making the political arena more competitive, and promoting a civil culture in diverse nations globally.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 technologies mark the highest point of the evolution of social media in political campaigns. Web 2.0 entails the second generation of the World Wide Web (Raoof, Zaman, Ahmad, & Al-Qaraghuli, 2013). Web 2.0 focuses on the capacity of individuals to collaborate and exchange messages online. The most prolific and popular of these technologies are social platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace (Reddick & Aikins, 2012), among others. Among all these social platforms, Facebook is the most dominant political support tool. According to Towner (2012) Web 2.0 technologies have played a critical role in impacting a transformation in the views of the society, especially in terms of political candidates. Furthermore, the technologies enable political contenders to communicate effectively to the public, in a cost-effective manner, and without any restrictions. Furthermore, social platforms such as Facebook enable the public to exchange their political opinions and effectively participate in the democratic process (Reddick & Aikins, 2012).
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Phases of Evolution of Social Media Campaigns
Old Media, New Politics
During this phase, political candidates employed conventional non-political and entertainment media to sidestep mainstream press gatekeepers who communicated the intended message for a couple of seconds, along with extensive commentary, hindering effective communication. Owen (2014) argues that political aspirants tried to reach voters who were less observant in terms of print and television news, via personal appeals in the media platforms. The campaigning strategies used during this era still thrive in the contemporary society. Political aspirants convey their messages in form of cover stories in newspapers, such as people weekly, as well as making personal appearances in talk shows. This phase was the foundation for the tailored soft news reportage that pervades the current century’s new media campaigns.
New Media, New Politics 1.0
The phase of New Media, New Politics 1.0 commenced with the employment of unique election communication platforms, which were fostered by technological innovations. For instance, in the year 2000, all the political contenders had simple websites which were highly text-based. According to Michaelsen (2011) the enhanced campaign websites became standard in the 2004 American election. The websites were highly characterized by interactive elements which were inclusive of features which enabled users to directly interact with candidates, organize campaigns, and give contributions in support of their preferred candidates, among others. Furthermore, election-based blogs became quite prevalent during this phase, providing voters with an alternative to corporate news products (Owen, 2014). The use of applications for presidential campaigns basically heightened during this phase. In addition, majority of congressional contenders had their own basic websites in the year 2006, with only a few of these candidates using blogs and fundraising tools.
New Media, New Politics 2.0
The third evolutionary phase of social media was marked by the American presidential election in 2008. According to Owen (2014) this phase was generally characterized by novelties in election communication which promoted schmoozing, cooperation, community building, and most importantly, active engagement in politics. Full-services political websites became the conventional norm, and multimedia platforms were extensively used. Voters were then able to access massive information about the contenders, election logistics, as well as political videos and ads.
Most importantly, the demand for the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, and video sharing sites such as YouTube, rose to remarkable levels during this time. Consequently, this fostered the exchange of information pertaining to elections, the organizations of campaigns, as well as amplified political participation, among different individuals in the state of America. The amplification of these media innovations was seen in 2010, when the use of Twitter and micro blogging sites was most prominent ( Michaelsen, 2011 ). The campaigning strategies of the former American president are an exquisite example of the New Media, New Politics 2.0 phase.
In the year 2008, Barrack Obama was triumphant in the presidential elections due to the effective use of social media as a tool for waging his campaign. Obama employed social media to raise funds, as well as to organize, and obtain massive votes from his fans in America ( Owen, 2014). During the time, his campaign strategies empowered American citizens on an individual, social, and advocate level. His campaign was basically reliant on user-generated content which was very captivating to the voters.
Social Media Influence on Political Campaigns
One of the most popular mass communication theories is that of media dependency. According to the theory, a vast number of people rely on social media for the acquisition of important information and for the purpose of need gratification. According to Helweg (2011), social media is a critical aspect in human life. According to Jungherr (2016) voters rely on social platforms for the attainment of information on political policies, as well as the political policies of various political aspirants. President Obamas campaign was greatly marked by immense youth support, since he reached out to them through social media. His campaigns offered some form of gratification o his supporters. The factors behind his victory in the 2008 elections were the internet, and the extraordinary social movement (Helweg, 2011). Based on this information, it is evident that candidates who stand out on Facebook and Twitter have the highest potential for likability, as well as electability. This puts across the fact that that a political candidates depiction on social media greatly influences the society’s perception of him/her, as well as its stance on whether or not the person is fit to lead.
On the other hand, the magic bullet theory attempts to explain the reaction of the society to mass media. According to the theory, social media has a direct, prompt, and intense effect on its audiences (Vonderschmitt, 2012). A message is symbolic of a bullet which is fired from a media rifle straight into the heads of the audiences. Furthermore, the theory depicts the mass society as vulnerable to the messages passed by mass media. Mass media is therefore depicted as a strong force which influences people’s philosophies, outlooks and opinions on various political issues. The theory is effective in explaining the effect of the political social media on the voter’s attitudes and opinions towards various electoral candidates.
Social media determines the political candidates that majority of the voters will select and opt for in any election. Through social platforms, electoral candidates are able to communicate effectively to their target audiences. Effective communication is therefore a critical aspect in politics since it is the basis through which politicians influence potential voters. Additionally, social platforms such as Facebook enable politicians to convey the intended message, for instance, the transformations they will make when they acquire the intended political seat. Those who have the ability to persuade the voters of their worthiness for the political positions are those that are able to articulate their message well, and voice their concern for various issues in the state, while displaying a sense of sensitivity to the plight of their audience. Through social media platforms, the former President Barrack Obama was able to reach out to the citizens of America, and communicate his genuine intentions to them. According to Raoof, Zaman, Ahmad, & Al-Qaraghuli (2013), Facebook and Twitter, among others enable voters to discuss the credibility of various candidates in platforms which results in the transformation of people’s views towards a certain political contender.
According to the theory of the magic bullet, political information is transferred into the voter’s consciousness either as a group or as a single entity without regards for an individual’s views, experiences, and also his/her levels of intellect. Furthermore, social media transform ordinary citizens into agents of influence, which enables them to leverage their own networks for whatever principles, and philosophical stances that they prefer. These agents further influence others to take their political stances and values. The message that is transferred through social media acts as a plague that is passed on to a vast number of people, once it has infected a single individual.
Moreover, social media is greatly influenced by one hidden force, which is the power of confirmation bias. Most individuals on Facebook share the same political views. As a result, majority of the posts and other content present in social platforms is usually an expression of the same point of view that a person already has. Lee (2018) argues that people like to surround themselves with individuals that have the same mindsets as them. For instance, if an individual has one hundred friends on Facebook, and ninety percent of these individuals have the same stance on the same political issues, it is very likely the message that this person gets will be filtered via this bias.
Additionally, the political stances that are posted by a person Facebook friends acts as a confirmation of their existing bias. Basically, what is posted is a replica of the views that a person already holds. Consequently, social media strengthens an individual’s ideas, making it impossible for the person to embrace alternative viewpoints. In cases where politics is concerned, social platforms such as Facebook, make people extremely opinionated and less open-minded when it comes to other people’s views, since they are contrary to their own. According to Gibson (2015) the platforms also create a chance in which people can bond with a variety of individuals with different points of view, which is critical in enabling them to overcome confirmation bias, and make use of these social networks to create an open mind, making them easy to influence.
Poll results, which are made accessible by various social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, have an adverse effect on the political candidate preferences of various individuals. Social media fosters direct access and contribution in Facebook polls. Poll results greatly impact the views of citizens, regardless of whether they are poll results are defective or not. Polls are comparable to self-fulfilling predictions. For instance, if individuals think that one candidate is more dominant than the other based on poll results, then they find no need of voting for the one who is anticipated to lose. Poll results, which are common in Facebook during election periods, greatly determine which candidate will win and which one will lose, based on the influence that the poll results have on potential voters (Hamilton, 2011). Based on the theory, politicians manipulate voters as a single entity making it easy for them to modify the thoughts and actions of voters. The main theme that the author tries to put across is the vulnerability of the society to the influence of political mass media.
Moreover, the contemporary world is characterized by an overflow of information. Therefore, it is always difficult for individuals to assess competing claims. It is also very common for politicians to differ in terms of interpretations and facts. Social media platforms offer these individuals with a chance to fact-check various assertions, and conduct an analysis of the quality of information provided by politicians. Social platforms basically convert voters and citizens into anchors and publishers, altering the nature of partisan communications. Hence, individual’s whose aims are to engage citizens and influence them to actively participate in the political process, have to first obtain the trust in social platforms. Political influence is basically network based, since social platforms are the filters through which citizens employ to access and analyze political data. Political contenders are therefore required to get past these trust filters, so that they can effectively engage the public in the political process, and exert their influence in the course of electoral events.
Conclusion
Social media has a great impact on the effectiveness of modern campaigns. Social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkeldn are critical campaigning tools, which can facilitate the electoral victory of political candidates. These platforms have a great influence on the political views and stances of majority of the citizens in various nations. Furthermore, modern technologies have created a podium in which people, most especially the youth, can directly communicate with electoral candidates and voice their political views and opinions. In addition, the platforms create room for persuasion, and the use of influence, in changing the mindsets of the targeted audience, which is critical for the attainment of the set political goals. The evolution of social media in political campaigns has not only fostered a civic culture, but it has also made political campaigns more aggressive and competitive. It is crucial for political aspirants to employ these political tools in to become triumphant in the political endeavors.
References
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