OK. Enough of minor league baseball for a while. I love it and the season is in full swing, but there is something else in the news: getting ready for the 2012 elections. I read this in today's News and Observer.
Recently, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney broke from tradition when announcing that they were running for President. Both eschewed large public gatherings like they did in 2008, instead, doing it online. Rick Pawlenty also put a video on Facebook via YouTube announcing his candidacy for the Republican nomination. NC Governor Bev Perdue has also tapped into YouTube posting over 80 videos in under two years.
The politicians have been advised that this is the way to go. In the recent November elections, the Pew Research organization estimated that 1 in 5 Americans used social media to decide on candidates. With the explosion of social media the past five years, it is easier for like-minded people to find each other and organize. We have seen how this can influence the Democrats and Republicans. It remains to be seen how this may influence the growth of third parties such as the Libertarians and the Greens.
Good post. I've been following this in the N&O also. I think a sizable part of the 2012 campaigns will be contested online. This election will have a different look than any before.
ReplyDelete