Social Media Networks in the 2016 Presidential Election Race
What role will social media play in this upcoming 2016 Presidential Race? With society using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat more than ever, presidential candidates will be able to reach out to potential voters in an easy and accessible way. Personally, Facebook has provided me with many updates about the latest news in the presidential race. Posts about candidates’ political campaigns and news of the latest presidential debates are some examples of information that has appeared on my Facebook newsfeed. I have also seen Facebook events for rallies of the presidential candidates, and have even seen both weak and strong tied individuals from my social network posting their opinions regarding the latest presidential news. With social networks providing a way for information to spread quickly, the effect of social media on the presidential race will be quite amazing to observe in the following year.
Using the power of their social network platforms, presidential candidates now increasingly have the ability to reach their audiences with their fingertips. The article cites various social network statistics and states that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have more than 4 million followers, depicting greater than 4 million ties in their social network. Trump posts more frequently with a total of 27,500 tweets, while Clinton posts less frequently with 1,400 tweets. From August 9 to 15, Trump gained 100,000 new followers while Clinton gained 45,000. In that same week, Trump had 6.8 million visitors to his Facebook, Clinton had 4.6 million, Bernie Sanders had 3.7 million, and Jeb Bush had 964,000.
Trump’s social media statistics shows his popularity among social media users. Perhaps, his popularity on social networks is due to his controversial commentary and statements, leading him to become the “most talked about candidate on Facebook.” Even if individuals are supporting or attacking him on social media, he is still becoming more widely known and these comments are merely increasing Trump’s publicity among the social network. With these presidential candidates fighting to win the votes of U.S. citizens, they must utilize their social media accounts effectively to gain popularity and the favor of the majority. These spread of information among social media networks will definitely have a great impact among voters in the United States.
http://nypost.com/2015/08/17/donald-trump-crushing-gop-rivals-on-social-media/