Tweeting their way to the top: Social media and the election

As candidates Barack Obama (D) and Mitt Romney (R) turn on the homestretch in the race for the White House, every step they take is being criticized, praised, mocked and analyzed. At the click of a mouse or the touch of an iPhone, millions of people are instantly made aware of the latest news and gossip on the candidates. Social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are playing a dominant role in the 2012 election, and both sides are striving to attain cyber supremacy. “Likes” and “favorites” have proven essential for campaigning, and both candidates are making themselves known online in search of votes. The first presidential debate between Obama and Romney provoked 10.3 million tweets during the 90-minute duration, according to USA Today. When moderator Jim Lehrer responded, “let’s not” to a Romney request to change topics, tweets began flying at a rate of 158,690 tweets per minute. “There’s a lot of people using it [social media]; you can’t ignore it,” Charles Funderburk, Ph.D., a Wright State professor of political science, said. “It was the last election, 2008, where Obama mobilized that stuff more effectively than anybody. Of course the timing was right because that’s when the system began to develop to the point where it could have a big impact.” Facebook hosts a page called “U.S Politics on Facebook,” which, according to the page, “highlights the use of Facebook by politicians, elected officials and political campaigns.” The page includes status posts that address various issues in politics, and most of them are currently election-based. Political discussion, review and debate are all welcomed on the page. Twitter has a politics page that tweets political statements and news. Twitter also hosts the “Twitter Political Index,” which displays the popularity of the Presidential candidates according to Twitter subscribers. Though both sides have made themselves known to the Facebook and Twitter audience, Obama appears to be the social media favorite. Obama’s Facebook page hosts over 29 million likes, while Romney’s only hosts over 8 million. Obama also has 10 million followers on Twitter, while Romney holds 1.2 million. Though social media impact has proven to be more relevant than ever, Funderburk does not believe it should be overvalued. “I wouldn’t overplay it,” Funderburk said. “The Electoral College still operates on states, not tweets, and electors are still selected after the people vote, not after they tweet.”