Social media usage has gained substantial popularity in political campaigns within the past decade It has influenced the trends of campaign events and ultimate election polls by shaping voters' sentiments. Previously, political campaigns were still largely dependent on print and broadcast media. That is not the case anymore, as social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have proved to be more productive campaign outlets because of their high number of users. Most of these platforms are centered on social networking amongst various people nationally and internationally, which is also the main political campaign goal. This paper seeks to explore the role of social media in political campaigns, voter sentiments, and its influences on election cycles.
Compared to past election cycles, the use of social media in political campaigning has changed the current election cycles both directly and indirectly. First, social media have increased the number of candidates participating in the current elections compared to the previous elections. Print and broadcast media that were more prevalent during the previous elections require extensive financial and material resources to facilitate the campaigning process, limiting most aspirants. However, social media usage is considerably cheap because the creation and management of social media accounts are free of charge; hence anyone can create and use one freely irrespective of their economic status ( Guse, n.d) .
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Social media has proved to be a very powerful communicative tool during political campaigns. Candidates use social media for communication by posting information regarding their campaign messages, manifestos, and campaign events. Voters can also pass their ideas and opinions directly to their candidates through their social media handles, and they can interact with each other at no cost. Besides, social media plays a fundamental role in facilitating the dynamics of politics especially during the campaign period. Candidates may change their political parties, opinions, change or withdraw their candidature amidst campaigns. Hence, social media platforms are used in communicating these dynamics to reach many people ( Yasseri et al., 2016).
Campaign messages are mostly received and understood by voters through ideological and partisan frameworks; hence, sparking existing beliefs among voters and help them categorize candidates based on their manifestos instead of the candidate's convincing power. Also, a large part of political decisions involved in elections is affected by voter sentiments. Voter sentiments refer to the views and opinions of voters regarding a certain political decision. Hence, the views and opinions of voters must be considered when making major political decisions to attain inclusivity within the specified spectrum.
The United States' former President Donald Trump is a renowned political leader for his advanced social media usage on top of his achievements during his 4-year presidency term. Trump handles a lot of issues through social media platforms. "If he can't remember the ought of the flag, he can NOT be the president of the United States." This tweet is one of Trump's tweets during last year's US controversial general election campaigns referring to his opponent Biden. The political tone of this post was negative as it addresses Biden as unfit for office; hence, conveying negativity. The subject of this issue is baseless rhetoric because it is just campaign banter. Another tweet by Barack Obama states, "In fact, new trade deal has the strongest enforceable environmental provisions in history, raising standards across Asia." Unlike Trump's tweet, Obama's tweet is positive and issue management-related. Social media styles influence works to advance basic knowledge of a candidate in the eyes of the voters by portraying the desirable image and message to the voters ( Jungherr, 2020) .
In conclusion, the utilization of social media platforms has gained substantial popularity in political activism within the past decade, influencing the trends of campaign events and ultimate election polls. Compared to past election cycles, the current election cycles have changed considerably due to social media influence. Campaign messages and voters' sentiments have diverse effects on the outcome of elections. Social media posts can be positive or negative, and their subject can be issue management or baseless rhetoric. Social media styles influence works to advance basic knowledge of a candidate in the eyes of the voters by portraying the desirable image and message to the voters.
References
Guse, M. C. (n.d). What is the Role of Social Media in Presidential Election Cycles?.
Jungherr, A., Rivero, G., & Gayo-Avello, D. (2020). Retooling politics: How digital media are shaping democracy . Cambridge University Press.
Yasseri, T., Margetts, H., John, P., & Hale, S. (2016). Political turbulence: How social media shape collective action . Princeton University Press.
