Impact of Social Media on the 2016 US Election: The 2016 US Election and Social Media

Introduction

The 2016 US election will take place on November 8, 2016. Candidates have been using many strategies to gain support. One such strategy is the utilization of social media platforms to promote an election campaign. The most popular platforms used are Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. In the United States, everyday, two out of three people are using these sites (Metaxas and Mustafaraj, 2012 ).This website discusses how politicians manipulate and use social media to their advantage to positively impact their campaign during the 2016 elections. These acts can be simply utilizing social media to promote campaigns and induce a strategic appeal to the general public. On the other hand, some candidates may manipulate social media results to reflect a positive image upon themselves and as a marketing strategy to gain more voters.

Monday, March 28, 2016

The 2016 US Election and Social Media

Social Media in the Top Ten Websites.....

Popular social medias include Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter which are ranked in the top ten websites worldwide (Boulianne, 2015).

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This is why Social media.....

Social Media are websites and online tools that allow users to interact with each other through sharing, and discussing opinions and interests (Khan, Swar and Lee, 2014). Focusing specifically on Facebook, researchers found that 35% internet users uses Facebook in 2008 and in 2013 it had increased to 72% (Boulianne). As a result, social media has become an important intermediary for interactions between individuals, businesses and governments. Due to its distinct characteristics of openness, participation and sharing, social media has allowed information to be shared more effectively (Khan, Swar and Lee, 2014). People are becoming more reliant on social media for information. Research shows that half of Facebook users receive news through Facebook and these news are more influential as it has been filtered through friends and family.

A Unique Research......

According to Ipsos Mori, 18 to 24 year olds are more impacted by social media (as cited in Green, 2015). 34% of them say that reading something on social media influences their votes (Green).

Impact of Social Media on the 2016 US Election