Facebook, phones now part of election decisions : Vivie Behrens (Period 6, Week 5)

     New research has shown that social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. are now playing a dominant role in people's voting decision. Compared to former elections, statistics have concluded that nearly twice as many people (compared to last election) are getting their political information on their phones rather than other media such as newspapers, the news, etc. 16% of registered voters total (and 26% of voters between ages 30 to 49) have said that they follow politicians on social media sites to be aware of politician's statuses. Facebook is trying to encourage voting by adding a "I Voted!" or "I'm Voting!" button for their users to proclaim that they have participated in determining the political candidates in the election this Tuesday.
     Social media is now the overarching platform that allows for the general public to be aware of politics today, as well as share their personal political views. Major social media companies are recognizing the fact that their sites serve as a major means of influence on the general public and have responded by adding features that encourage people to participate in the voting process. This media serves a similar task as pamphlets, newspapers did in history by encouraging the public to participate in governmental decisions. This relates to early elections such as the election of 1836, in which members of the members of the House of Representatives determined their ideal presidential candidate by encouraging each other to vote.

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/03/tech/social-media/midterm-elections-facebook/index.html