On the eve of the election that decides who’s going to run our country for the next 4 years, the results might be a little too close to predict. One thing we can be sure of though is that the entire election process has become an increasingly social experience.
If your facebook or twitter feeds are anything like mine, political conversation has pretty much dominated the social media forum lately. Most of it seems to be people trying to influence others to change their point of view or support a different candidate.
This approach has always seemed flawed to me. Those seeking to change anyone’s mind except for their own probably have a difficult path ahead of them.
Those who have decided to vote for Obama probably aren’t going to switch sides due to a friend’s facebook status. The same thing can be said for Romney.
So what impact is social media really having on the presidential election?
Everyone Is Doing It
The biggest impact of social media on the election so far has been the simple fact that so many people are participating in the discussion. We all use social media on some level to feel included, and if everyone else is posting about their favorite candidate it creates a lot of momentum for you to do the same.
The more people that post, the bigger the discussion becomes. The bigger the discussion becomes, the more likely other people are to post their opinion.
The real effect through all of this is that more and more people are getting involved. I wouldn’t be surprised if that involvement translates into record voter turnout on Election Day tomorrow.
The change here from previous years isn’t that more people have an opinion. The difference this year when compared to years past is that it’s become so much easier now to share that opinion with others.
Thanks to the numerous social media outlets available to us now (facebook, twitter, instagram etc.) we don’t have to travel very far to find our voice. Just remember to make sure that voice is heard tomorrow at the polls.
photo credit: nshepard via photopin cc
photo credit: jaydensonbx via photopin cc
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