Social Media in Election Politics

a.k.a The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Facebook Ratings: Election 2010Ranking political candidates by their fan counts

51,130Independent Fans

3,459,799Republican Fans

1,444,992Democratic Fans

Governors:

13 Democratic States

23 Republican States

Senate:

10Democratic States

26Republican States

House:

64Democratic Districts

126Republican Districts

Top Candidates by Fan Count

Type State Candidate Fans Daily Growth

Senate AZ John McCain (R) 716,325 453 (0.06%)

Governor AZ Jan Brewer (R) 344,969 619 (0.18%)

Governor CA Meg Whitman (R) 206,888 2397 (1.17%)

Governor TX Bill White (D) 153,144 828 (0.54%)

House MN6 Michele Bachman (R)

139,200 2756 (2.02%)

Senate FL Marco Rubio (R) 132,786 689 (0.52%)

Senate SC Jim DeMint (R) 121,832 721 (0.60%)

Senate NV Sharron Angle (R) 108,538 250 (0.23%)

Governor CA Jerry Brown (D) 97,490 735 (0.76%)

Senate KY Rand Paul (R) 84,928 301 (0.36%)

John McCain (R – AZ)716, 325 Facebook Friends

Nutella5,515,090 Friends

Garfield 881,773 Friends

Question:Does having Facebook Fans get you elected to public office?

Answer:Maybe?

Facebook Political Stats

• Less than 3% of Facebook Fans leave comments• Less than 5% of Facebook Fans are signed up as volunteers• Less than 1% have donated to the political candidate that they follow on Facebook

• Viewership for political messages• Use their fan status to communicate personal political views• 40% say they use social media for information on political candidates

Con:

Pros:

Good Use of Social MediaScott Brown – Senate Candidate, Massachusetts

Tool: SMS text message 7,000 supporters

Action: Call into Radio Shows to discredit Martha Coakley, his opponent

Modeled after: Obama messaged supporters to announce Joe Biden as his VP running mate

• Lists of neighbors to talk to• Interactive maps• Share news, photos, videos, and information right at the door• Real-time reporting of how many doors you've knocked and how the conversations went

Organizing for America – iPhone ApplicationGet everything you need to canvass in the palm of your hand:

Bad: Election Home Pages

Bad: Election Home Pages

Ugly:

Ugly:

Social Media levels playing field• Candidates to tell a story• Create a stronger donation network • Quick Response to issues• All politics is local – find your

neighborhood leaders• Creativity can make up for having a small

budget -- Make politics FUN!

ReferencesSilverman, M. (June 9 2010). How Political Campaigns are Using Social Media for Real Results. Retrieved from:

http://mashable.com/2010/06/09/political-campaigns-social-media/Grohol, J. (October 26, 2010). Does Political Activity on Facebook Translate Into the Real World?. Retrieved

from: http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/10/26/does-political-activity-on-facebook-translate-into-the-real-world/19967.html

The Official Organizing for America App. Retrieved from: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/iphone2010/

All Facebook Statistics, the Unofficial Facebook Resource. Facebook Ratings, Election 2010. Retrieved from: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/iphone2010/

CNET News, October 25 2006. Images: The Worst Political Sites. Retrieved from: http://news.cnet.com/2300-1028_3-6129164.html?tag=mncol

Silverman, M. (November 1, 2010) The Future of Social Media & Politics. Retrieved from: http://mashable.com/2010/11/01/future-social-media-politics/

Murray, S and Wagner, J. (October 8, 2010). In age of Facebook, Twitter and apps, some candidates adapt better than others. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/07/AR2010100702662.html