Using the work of Dr. Pamela Rutledge and John Drowning I will provide a real life example of the influence of citizen media. The topic below discusses and affectively supports the themes of a social movement and how social media platforms can be used to aid in social change. In 2007 when Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 election, social media was a new and growing phenomena. Facebook and Twitter had recently been created and their effectiveness in politics was just being understood. All while the world was becoming more mobile, with the development of the smartphone market, which was first introduced by Apple. However, the 2008 election made history, for Obama effectively used social media as one of his major campaign platforms and the main driver for his political revolution.
A recent statistic taken by PEW Survey, discovered that in 2015, 78% of Americans have created and use their various social media accounts. While 66% of Americans have contributed to various political discussions either through Twitter or Facebook. The citizen media landscape has grown and become an avenue for citizens to escape the constant perceptions of mass media conglomerates and voice their political opinions to other like minded individuals. Thus, social media platforms like: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have become an important avenue for adults and more specifically young millennials to gather information about politics, (either through posts, videos and comments) and a space where they can voice their political opinions. The Obama campaign team recognized the growing importance of social media in 2007 and took advantage of this space.
Similar to various past Presidents who used old mass media technology (Television & Radio) to their political advantage, Obama was the first President who embraced social media as a major anchor for both of his campaigns. In 2008 John Macan was social media silent and attempted to use older media, such as television and radio to help get his message across, while Mitt Romney, in 2012, sparing invested in social media platforms.
Using John Drowning's piece Nanomedia, one can explain that Obama's social media presence helped create such an influential political campaign because individuals were making cultural connections between the videos or posts seen on social media with their own circumstances. Drowning explains that "the relationship between the social networks and cognitive maps [is the ways in] which actors make sense of and categorize their social environment and locate themselves within broader web of ties and interactions." Drowning's explanation of the importance of social media can be further supported with Dr. Rutledge's collected statistics, which is mentioned in the following paragraph.
Dr. Rutledge in her piece, How Obama Won the Social Media Battle in 2012 Presidential Campaign, highlights numerous fascinating facts about the 2012 election. She found that "in the 2012 election, 30% of online users report that they were urged to vote via social media by family, friends or other social network connections, 20% actively encouraged other and 22% posted their decision when they voted."
Thus, citizen media shared within social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram gave individuals enough knowledge about Obama's political and agenda, while also feeling in powered to join such an inspirational movement.
Please Feel Free to comment and voice your opinion about this piece!!
Thus, citizen media shared within social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram gave individuals enough knowledge about Obama's political and agenda, while also feeling in powered to join such an inspirational movement.
Please Feel Free to comment and voice your opinion about this piece!!
