By Rachael DurantEDITORIAL EDITOR
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced his 2016 presidential run on Twitter last week. By announcing his candidacy online, Senator Cruz has begun a campaign cycle that should involve more aggressive social media elements.
People of all ages utilize social media for many different reasons. As a mass media tool, social media has grown increasingly important. According to Pew Research Center’s Social Networking Fact Sheet, 89% of adults aged 18-29 engage with social networking sites.
A social media strategy is an essential element to any campaign because it allows candidates to interact directly with people, especially millennials, on a platform they are already using. This interaction is key.
Civic engagement in the United States leaves something to be desired. During the 2014 midterm election cycle, Time Magazine reported that only 36.4% of eligible voters turned out to the polls, the lowest turnout since World War II.
As a society, we drop the ball in terms of our participation. We are unhappy with government, yet refuse to participate in the process to find a government that enacts policies we want.
Using social media, candidates have the opportunity to get more citizens involved. Increased involvement in a discussion may lead to greater voter turn out.
In 2012, Pew looked specifically at political engagement and social media sites. In their research, they found that 38% of adults using social media did so to promote political or social issues and 35% used social media to encourage others to vote.
While that is not a majority, it points to the power of social media. People use it as a tool to share their views with others. The power of social media lies in the persuasive power of information.
An engaged and educated electorate is essential for a democracy to thrive. Using social media as a tool to encourage voter turn out can help solve the issue of nonparticipation by a large portion of voting-eligible adults.
Candidates should want to use these tools because they allow for specific messages to reach large audiences. The messages are not mediated, as they may be through print or television or radio. Instead, the message comes directly from the candidate. In an era of 140 characters and sound bites, control of the message that is being spread is useful.
Senator Cruz faced backlash from Twitter users through the hashtag #TedCruzCampaginSlogans. While social media is a glorious tool for sharing and spreading information, there are also risks associated. Viral, negative posts can do real damage to the reputation of a candidate, which may hurt their campaign.
Candidates and campaigns should embrace social media, but remain slightly cautious. Understanding public sentiment before utilizing social media is imperative to successful implementaion.
The growth of social media as a means for campaigning is good news for students. Since we grew up with these technologies, there is some expectation that we understand them enough to use them. Candidates, as well as companies, will be looking to millennials like us to help with their social media strategy. This gives our generation an opportunity.
While it is important for candidates to use social media more to help engage the electorate, it is up to us to engage with them too. We have a responsibility as citizens to engage in the political process. Educating ourselves and making our voices heard is important. As a generation, we need to work on voter participation and getting involved in the process. Social media gives us the means to accomplish this goal.The only way our views will be represented is if we work to make our voices heard.
The views and opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section are those of the authors of the articles. They are not an endorsement of the views of The Chronicle or its staff. The Chronicle does not discriminate based on the opinions of the authors.