During the past few years, holding political campaigns in social media has emerged as vital area of emphasis in today’s electoral process. To allow candidates create their presence in the distinct social media platforms, they should start utilizing the platforms before the commencement of their campaigns. Various reasons prevail as to why politicians should start utilizing social media even before they reveal their ambitions for running for office. For instance, social media allows politicians to establish their presence online cheaply by just signing up and sending their message. They are also able to target millennials who comprise a big segment of voting, the public, and social media. Social media also serves as a listening tool allows candidates to acquire commentary regarding issues affecting the public, which they can utilize to make their campaign platforms better. Additionally, social media provides politicians with an avenue for mobilization whereby they manage to rally supporters on social and political issues. Having social media presence allows politicians to realize these benefits and more (Devumi, 2018) . Thus, the paper discusses how social media has evolved in political campaigns.
Success of Social Media in Persuading
Social media has emerged successful in persuading individuals for a certain candidate. For social media, it is serving as a vital force in political campaigns as well as in terms of the manner in which individuals perceive certain issues. Candidates together with their supporters are able to post their views and opinions on Twitter and Facebook among other popular social media platforms. Every party develops its individuals pages, which it can utilize for broadcasting propaganda or even request donations. In this case, when it comes to persuading, one of the key avenues is offering news 24/7. Social media makes it possible to share poll results, news, and rumors rapidly (Satterfield, 2016) . During the days before the adoption of the Internet, individuals needed to ways for TV news or the upcoming newspaper top allow them acquire latest information. However, online news takes place around the clock. For social media it has taken this issue further. Whereas it is possible to access news in diverse websites at any time, a large number of individuals usually spend many hours on Twitter and Facebook as opposed to the case of other serious political or news sites. This is an indication that individuals are capable of getting the trending opinions and news stories that their friends share (Muller, 2016) . In this case, utilizing social media can allow politicians to influence their followers considerably.
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Social media also has influence on polls. Political pools play a critical role in each political campaign. They are usually confusing because people usually come across numerous polls showing conflicting results posted in the same day. As it is the case with other forms of political news, the Internet has played a significant role in terms of increasing the poll results’ number that individuals see on a daily basis (Satterfield, 2016) . Social media has made this process even fast. Social media sites normally report the poll results while at the same time providing persons with the opportunity of participating in social media pools. Polls usually have tremendous effect on elections. This applies even in cases where they are flawed. A poll might serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy. For instance, in the event that individuals think that a certain candidate is significantly far ahead during polls, individuals realize that there is no need for voting for the loser (Muller, 2016) . When individuals post latest results of polls on social media the entire day, a significant amount of pressure emerges among candidates to pull ahead of their rivals.
Furthermore, social media makes it possible for individuals to interact with their politicians directly. Traditionally, if individuals wished to meet their candidates or politicians, they were required to ensure that they attended a live event. However, not all people were capable of doing this. In the case of the modern technology, it has made it possible for individuals to attend virtual events, such as through streaming the events or interacting with the candidates and politicians. In addition, social media increases persuasion through demographics and targeting. Targeting is utilized in the entire advertising sector to ensure that messages and ads reach the ideal audience. Politicians follow a similar approach too (Muller, 2016) . In today’s social media age, candidates and politicians have the ability of targeting their campaigns. In the event that a candidate wishes to address issues related to college students, women, minority groups, and retired people among other voter groups, they are capable of tailoring their messages. In the same manner that advertisers on Facebook have the ability of utilizing targeted advertising and analytics, politicians, and candidates are capable of doing so. Thus, individuals should note that when they come across messages that appear to be addressing them personally, they should realize that that is not an accident (Satterfield, 2016) . In this perspective, therefore, it is evident that social media has the ability of persuading individuals during political campaigns.
Factors Stunting Internet Use in Political Campaigns
Before the 2000 election, certain forces stunted the utilization of the Internet in political campaigns. During this time, the audience of political news was emerging as more mainstream. A large number of adults in the American society were adopting the Internet. They started changing motives and utilized the Internet as a means of acquiring political news (Hara & Jo, 2007) . They also had certain preferred sites, which they used to acquire political news. For instance, during the 1996 election, the adoption of the Internet among Americans was at 23 percent whereas the audience of political news was disproportionately white males with a good socioeconomic standing (Rainie, Horrigan, & Cornfield, 2005) . The Internet population continued rising among the adult population leading it to change the consumer of political news, hence including more women, rural residents, and older populations.
Individuals regarded convenience as the major force that led them to adopt the Internet as a means of acquiring political news online. They preferred the Internet because they regarded it as offering them an avenue for acquiring news, which they would not access in other avenues. They also argued that the traditional sources of news did not offer them all the information that they required. As the online audience for political news grew broader, politicians started seeing it as an avenue where they would relate with their audience to allow them to get more followership (Hara & Jo, 2007) . As such, these can be regarded as among the major forces that speeded Internet political campaigns before the 2000 election.
Attitudes, Attributes, and Conditions Promoting Social Media Use
Regarding the diverse elections that have taken place in the 21st century, various attributes, attitudes, and conditions have promoted the use of social media. For instance, political engagement serves as among the major driving forces toward the adoption of social media. Political engagement refers to the apparent relevance attributed to an issue during a certain moment, which it regarded as of interest to political conditions, such as the outcome of an election. Political engagement has been subject to research via social networking sites. They reveal that the connection that prevails between political behaviors and social networking revolves around the forces that motivate individuals to search for particular information. Social media sites have established new avenues, which have closed the gap between users via revolutionary interactive technologies (Bronstein & Aharony, 2015) . Social networking also have the ability of fostering political engagement since they have the capacity of raising awareness concerning collective problems, support political discussions online, and depict openings for political or civic involvement.
Additionally, political efficacy serves as a concept in the area of political behavior, which influences attitudes, conditions, and attributes in the social media setting. For instance, when looking at the political self-efficacy concept, it refers to a belief that the political action of people has or might have an effect on the political process, which is worthwhile for undertaking civic duties. This trait is considered as highly predictive of participation in the political environment. The political self-efficacy idea is related to the self-efficacy idea, which stipulates that the relationship that exists between action and knowledge revolve around the manner in which individuals justify their capacities. It also targets the manner in which the self-perception of people regarding efficacy influences their behavior, motivation, feelings, and thinking. (Bronstein & Aharony, 2015) These kinds of issues are the ones that lead individuals to utilize social media on various political issues.
Social Media Challenges in Political Campaigns
The social media environment is subject to various challenges with respect to making sure that political campaigns run smoothly. For example, social media is attributed to spreading fake news, rumors, and conspiracies. Every story influences political campaigns irrespective of whether it is true or not, while it spreads rapidly on social media. Challenges are emerging in terms of separating fake news from real news online. Social media is making this process especially confusing, such as the unending meme streams, rumors concerning candidates and leaders, hence combining lies, satire, truth, as well as speculation. Several fake news sites usually exist today, which are making stories to seem authentic. For instance, the Onion is among these sites although others exist as well (Satterfield, 2016) . Certain sites offering fake news are not funny, but usually exist with the goal of trolling readers who fail to undertake their own research.
The confirmation bias power also serves as a challenge facing social media in political campaigns. In this vein, confirmation bias serves as among the key hidden forces operating in social media. It becomes especially powerful in the event of controversial topics, particularly politics. Most people on social media share outlook concerning certain things. This is an indication that a large number of Facebook ports, tweets, and other content emanating from these sites usually focus on expressing a similar viewpoint that individuals already hold. It is common for individuals to surround themselves with other like-minded individuals. This is the case both offline and online. When it comes to social media sites, they might create an illusion that individuals think in a similar manner. For instance, when 90 percent of a person’s Facebook friends agree on many political issues, the information acquired is usually filtered via this bias. Individuals end up posting links confirming the prevailing bias repeating the opinion that an individual already hold. As such, such media can play a major role in terms of posing challenges in entertaining alternative viewpoints (Satterfield, 2016) . When it comes to the political environment, it can lead individuals to become more opinionated while being less tolerant to others’ viewpoints.
Mass Media vs. Social Media in Political Campaigns
Certain differences prevail between mass media and social media concerning political campaigns. For instance, whereas mass media might require candidates to answer many questions, social media does not. In social media, political candidates are not mandated to answer the different questions they find on social media. They like it that way, although this practice leaves numerous voters without vital information they require before casting their ballot. Additionally, whereas the mass media has the ability of reaching a considerable number of individuals social media does not. Whereas many argue that social media is accessible via a person’s palm, it does not. This is because a considerable number of individuals usually miss the message that a certain candidate posted, particularly if they do not follow them (FTI Consulting, 2018) . Whereas having a large number of followers on social media among politicians may lead them to brag, broadcast TV networks have the ability of reaching many more, thus the power of mass media in this aspect. In addition, when it comes to the mass media, it makes holding a news conference especially regarding a campaign announcement appear presidential. This lead the voters to become accustomed to a certain candidate appear to be in power. However, this is emerging as more of a relic. It is quite fast for politicians to post the things they wish to say online, particularly if they are targeting an audience (Halbrooks, 2018) . In this perspective, therefore, it is evident that mass media and social media differ in certain ways when it comes to political campaigns.
Conclusion
In conclusion, social media has gained tremendous influence in terms of the manner in which political campaigns are carried out in today’s society. It has the ability of influencing the perceptions of voters in diverse ways regarding their preferred candidates. Nevertheless, it is essential to note that social media is prone to certain challenges, particularly when it comes to fake news and the issue of confirmation bias. Furthermore, various differences prevail between the mass media and social media based on the ways in which they convey political campaigns. Therefore, while using social media for political campaigns, it is vital to devise effective strategies in order to win the confidence and trust of the public.
References
Bronstein, J., & Aharony, N. (2015). Personal and political elements of the use of social networking sites. Retrieved from http://www.informationr.net/ir/20-1/isic2/isic23.html
Devumi. (2018). Political social media campaign: get your candidates elected. Retrieved from https://devumi.com/2017/09/political-social-media-campaign-get-candidates-elected/
FTI Consulting. (2018). Social vs. traditional media. Retrieved from https://www.fticonsulting.com/insights/fti-journal/social-vs-traditional-media
Halbrooks, G. (2018). Why presidential hopefuls use social media and not traditional media. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/presidential-hopefuls-social-media-3987492
Hara, N., & Jo, J. (2007). Internet politics: A comparative analysis of U.S. and South Korea presidential campaigns. Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/article/view/2005/1880
Muller, D. (2016). How the relationship between social media and traditional media has shaped this election. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/how-the-relationship-between-social-media-and-traditional-media-has-shaped-this-election-61585
Rainie, L., Horrigan, J. B., & Cornfield, M. (2005). The Internet and campaign 2004. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2005/03/06/the-internet-and-campaign-2004/
Satterfield, H. (2016). How social media affects politics. Retrieved from https://sysomos.com/2016/10/05/social-media-affects-politics/
