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Election fever

Why isn’t social media hype translating to the polls?

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Election fever has struck the country. The 2016 presidential primaries and caucuses beat on as the candidates frantically and sometimes humorously race to gain their party’s nomination.
Every factor will influence how the election shapes up, including the broad and significant influence of social media. However, there are just as many pitfalls and misuses of social media that can endanger a campaign through misinformation as there are benefits to take advantage of.
Utilizing social media to sway the vote has successfully been done. In 2008, the Obama campaign reached out to a younger voter population through successful and targeted social media presence. This gave them an overwhelming edge in the election, where they commanded about 66 percent of the young-adult votes. Almost eight years later, the Internet continues to evolve and shape how campaigns function.
There is no denying the massive amounts of information readily available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which are social media sites predominantly populated by younger users. Millennials are heavily reliant on digital technology that provide them with world and political news, topics being discussed globally, or any current event or incident that takes place. As a result, it is absolutely necessary that the campaigners tap into the technology-dependent and media-frequenting young adults of the nation.
Bernie Sanders is one candidate who has a particularly strong presence on the Internet, partially through his social media efforts but also largely through information spread by his supporters. Because of the disproportionate amount of his supporters frequenting social media sites, the picture presented by the Internet is not necessarily reflective of how the poll results have turned out.
While Sanders had several upsurges, notably by winning New Hampshire and Michigan, they are only viable if the youth support he garners on the Internet translates to the polling booths, which has not always been the case. Out of Michigan primary voters, only about 20 percent were under 30. If you spend more than 20 minutes on the Internet, you’d quickly conclude that the world, or the younger crowd, seems to aggressively loathe Donald Trump and worship Bernie Sanders as an idol. Why is it, then, that the primary polls do not reflect these same sentiments?
This effect represents a disparity between those voicing their opinions on social media and translating those opinions into votes on Election Day. Posting opinions on Facebook does not count as a vote, and aggressively sharing and spreading support or hatred for candidates does not equal actual poll numbers. The Internet also does not provide an accurate voice that speaks for the U.S. It speaks for a cross-section, a small percentage of people who feel comfortable speaking up about politics online.
A large sum of the information available on social media is not exactly fact either. Countless posts are aimed at swaying the opinion of possible voters through the use of image distortion of candidates, which is nothing more than persuasive propaganda. For example, memes that intentionally misquote Clinton and Sanders aim to make Bernie seem friendly and Clinton seem cold. The memes ignore facts, but still subtly persuade voters.
Looking at the Internet with these parameters in mind, the U.S. political opinion is not accurately captured by Facebook posts. The general electorate is not solely made up of tech-savvy Sanders supporters, and the polls demonstrate this. But the polls also show that tapping into the digital world influences and can win campaigns.
Although there is widespread coverage and influence on youth votes via social media sites, the youth votes for the Democrats are showing a drop. On the other hand, the Republican youth votes are surging for the 2016 presidential election in November.
This would mean that for example, if young Democrats want Sanders to win, they will have to ramp up their efforts. A Facebook post voicing support for a candidate is not going to get the win. Unless they are translating their virtual support into a physical one at the polling booth, they will never see the changes that they want, whether that means from a Republican or a Democratic president.
It is equally important for those active on the Internet to realize that just the voice of support on a digital place does not give results. The nation does not recognize a post on Facebook as a vote. Only your stamp at the voting booth has value. To enact change, you have to physically make an effort to be a part of the movement. Getting down to the voter booth is most important if you want your chosen candidate, who promises the changes you want, to win.

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Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919.
Election fever