Title: What role do social media play in politics and elections? - Quora
Headings: What role do social media play in politics and elections?
20 Answers
Ayesha Zaman
Poornima Thakur

Content: Some of the many benefits social media provides politicians include, direct contact with vote
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The prevalence of social media in our daily lives has changed the way campaigns are run and how politicians interact with citizens. Research indicates that 68% of social media users actively engage in political activism online (1). Social media has made elected officials and candidates in elections more accountable and accessible to voters. The ability to publish content and have it broadcasted to people instantaneously is leveraged by many candidates as this occurs in real time and at almost no cost. Some of the many benefits social media provides politicians include, direct contact with voters which included the promotion and knowledge of campaigns, and the use of big data (2). Politicians try to capitalize on social media by putting out their beliefs, actions and opinions on certain matters. Social media tools that include Facebook, Twitter and YouTube allow politicians to speak directly to voters with no costs. Iosifidis explains that politicians must engage in a more personalized and less ideological set of political communication. This means that they must engage through personal communication. For example, Barack Obama was one of the first politicians to tap into the power of social media which made his campaigns so successful.