Politics and social media go hand in hand, whether you like it or not.
That is due to how frequently politics are discussed on websites like Twitter. The US population as a whole consumes political news online.the difficulty? Managing a public account while navigating social media and politics is challenging. We outline ways candidates can boost their social media game below.
Debates. Fact-checking and fund raising. Results and news.
Voters may easily access all of the above because social media serves as the modern-day public forum.
The stakes for candidates on social media are therefore very high. Politicians have the ability to make news on their own, without having to wait for it to be published.
the difficulty? Managing a public account while navigating social media and politics is challenging. We outline ways candidates can boost their social media game below.
Political campaigns have changed as a result of social media
More people get their news from social platforms
Numerous news organizations transmit articles right to our smartphones.
The main social networks for news are Twitter (53%), Facebook (44%) and Reddit (37%), according to Pew research from 2022. The surprising thing is that TikTok (33%) isn't far behind these sources.
Compared to traditional media, transparency and trust
36% of Americans, according to Gallup data, have "great deal" or "fair amount" of faith in mainstream media. Print media and TV news are included in this. Only 11% of Republicans who identify as such (and 31% of independents) say they have faith in the media.
It would be an understatement to say that people have problems with traditional media when it comes to their level of confidence.
The definition of a "trustworthy" new source is likewise becoming more ambiguous as a result of social media. According to Pew research, persons under 30 trust social media news sources roughly as much as they do traditional ones.
Social media is not an ideal news source by any means.
For socially savvy consumers, the advantage of real-time fact-checking is still a huge positive. Additionally, social media platforms give politicians a direct channel to the general people.
This implies that candidates benefit from social media transparency. They may, after all, communicate with voters in their own words and according to their own preferences.
Think about how far-reaching social media is in comparison to traditional media. Social media is the biggest show in town for politicians due to declining TV audiences.
More fundraising opportunities
Political advertising has exploded on social media since 2020, as is well known.
However, the level of campaign spending now is absolutely night and day.
Facebook continues to be a powerful tool for political advertising and funding. Anyone can view the cost of any specific campaign in the Facebook Ad Library. And a lot of it.
In actuality, since May 2018, $3.6 billion has been spent on political and social issue advertisements.
