Social Media and its Relation to Political Science

When the Internet first came to be, no one knew exactly how it would affect the lives of everyone living on the planet. Decades later, almost everyone uses the Internet. Whether it be for the pursuit of knowledge, happiness, riches, and even political ambitions.

In the old days, people who want to run for public office had to go on the streets and hold rallies in order for the masses to listen to what they had to say. Now it’s all about Facebook and Twitter marketing and recording political speeches and meetings and uploading them in Youtube. Others use Foursquare as a means of announcing to the online world where the campaign rally is going to be. There’s even a rising trend of politicians hiring social media managers for their Facebook and Twitter pages!

Have you ever wondered why people get all crazy whenever they hear social networking sites? Are you surprised why a Youtube video, despite having a boring and mundane presentation, is actually gathering thousands of subscribers and viewers? Are you shocked why businesses are now dependent on Twitter?

Social media is the great melting pot of business and personal communication. Whether we like it or not, people are, and will always be, attracted to social media because of its unlimited and creative potential. Think of the thousands of blogs being created day by day, the millions of members Facebook, Twitter and MySpace receive, and the hundreds of videos being uploaded to Youtube by just one single member! You just don’t create relationships and bonds with social media; you earn money as well.

Think of those games that you see and play in Facebook; Zynga, for example, has made millions ever since they started creating games in Facebook. Twitter is the secret weapon of internet marketers, channeling hundreds of promotions with a few posts on the social media site. Because of all these positive effects on both the business and personal aspects of our everyday lives, social media is now described as “the next big thing since the Internet.”

If games can be promoted with social media, then I’m pretty sure a political candidate can be marketed without problems. My friend and I finally agreed that when the time comes, there will be a new subject for political science students to talk and research about.

Nancy Mitchell