Isabella Carter
The internet has revolutionised political campaigns, with digital technology evolving from a niche tool to an essential component. Social media platforms, in particular, have become integral to modern political campaigning, with politicians leveraging them to directly communicate with voters, raise funds, and gain recognition. This has helped level the playing field, allowing newcomers to compete with incumbents by reaching a wider audience at a lower cost. The internet has also changed how and when voters consume political information, enabling politicians to chase support 24/7. Furthermore, data-driven campaigning, enabled by the vast amounts of data collected from social media, voter databases, and online behaviours, allows campaigns to create highly personalised messages targeted at specific voter segments. While this has raised concerns about privacy and ethics, it has undoubtedly reshaped the political landscape, with political parties increasingly embracing digital tools to influence voters and shape public opinion.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cost-effectiveness | Social media channels cost next to nothing and are easily tapped by anyone with an internet connection |
| Accessibility | Politicians are more accessible to the public than ever before |
| Speed | Within the first month of using Twitter, politicians were able to raise between 1% and 3% of what they would have raised in a two-year traditional campaign |
| Reach | The internet has exponentially scaled political outreach, enabling campaigns to reach hundreds of millions of people |
| Personalisation | Politicians can use social media to foreground themselves as persons instead of issues, and to present themselves more privately |
| Emotionalisation | Social media allows politicians to connect with voters on an emotional level |
| Data-driven campaigning | Campaigns can use data to group voters by age, gender, ethnicity, income, political views, or issues of concern |
| Micro-targeting | Campaigns can focus on specific voter segments based on behaviour, location, and preferences |
| Collective action | Social media facilitates coordination between people, making it easier to organise collective actions, such as street protests |
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What You'll Learn
- Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok help political campaigns by offering sophisticated ad-targeting tools
- The internet helps political campaigns find voters and bring the campaign's message to them in their preferred media format
- Political newcomers can leverage social media to gain recognition and compete against incumbents
- Data-driven campaigning relies on algorithms and automated systems to inform strategic decisions
- The internet has changed how political information is shared and understood, making practically unlimited amounts of political information available to voters
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok help political campaigns by offering sophisticated ad-targeting tools
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have become essential tools for political campaigns, offering a range of sophisticated ad-targeting and data-collection tools. These platforms provide politicians and campaigns with a powerful avenue to reach and influence voters, allowing them to shape their online image and narrative.
Instagram, for example, offers a highly functional platform for political campaigns to connect with voters. Campaigns can share promotional content, helpful posts, and connect with followers through Instagram's comment sections and story features. Hashtags are also a powerful tool on the platform, enabling campaigns to reach a wider audience and engage with specific topics or trends. Instagram allows politicians to showcase their personality and build a narrative, helping them to shape their image and connect with voters on a more personal level.
TikTok, on the other hand, provides verified badges for notable figures and organisations, including government, politician, and political party accounts (GPPPAs). This helps build trust and authenticity with followers. While TikTok does not allow political advertising or campaign fundraising, it does provide a space for discussing current events, political issues, and elections. This can be a valuable platform for politicians to reach a younger audience and engage with trending topics.
Facebook, being one of the older social media platforms, has long been used by political campaigns to target specific demographics with ads. With its vast user base and sophisticated data collection, Facebook allows campaigns to micro-target specific groups with tailored messages, a practice that has become common in recent elections.
These platforms offer political campaigns an unprecedented ability to collect and utilise data. Campaigns can gather information on users' demographic traits, preferences, personalities, and even psychological profiles. This data informs strategic decisions, from message content to communication channels. This data-driven approach, guided by algorithms and automated systems, allows campaigns to make more nuanced and targeted decisions, moving beyond traditional reliance on human judgment.
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The internet helps political campaigns find voters and bring the campaign's message to them in their preferred media format
The internet has had a profound impact on political campaigns, transforming the way parties connect with voters and disseminate their messages. It has enabled political campaigns to locate voters and deliver tailored messages to them in their preferred media formats. This shift has been driven by the widespread adoption of digital technologies and the recognition of their potential to amplify political voices and influence public opinion.
One of the key advantages of the internet for political campaigns is its ability to facilitate direct communication with voters. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow politicians to engage in personalized and emotional interactions, presenting themselves as relatable individuals rather than distant figures. This strategy of self-personalization helps candidates satisfy media logic and public demands, allowing them to showcase their perspectives and, if needed, distance themselves from their parties.
The internet also enables political campaigns to micro-target specific voter segments. By leveraging data from social media, voter databases, online behaviors, and psychographics, campaigns can create highly customized ad variations. For instance, during the 2016 US presidential election, the Donald Trump campaign created over 5.9 million ad variations tailored to specific voters, targeting messages down to individual neighborhoods. This data-driven approach allows campaigns to segment voters based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and voting history, ensuring that their messages resonate deeply with specific groups.
Additionally, the internet has lowered the barriers to entry for political newcomers. Social media channels provide a cost-effective platform for newcomers to gain recognition, raise funds, and compete against incumbents. Research by Pinar Yildirim and colleagues found that politicians could raise a significant amount of money within the first month of using Twitter, with the gains amplified by including hyperlinks to additional information. This finding highlights how social media can level the playing field in politics, where traditional campaigns often require substantial financial resources and access to formal communication channels.
Furthermore, the internet enables political campaigns to mobilize and coordinate supporters more efficiently. Campaigns can enlist thousands of supporters as agents, who can then participate in calling campaigns from the comfort of their homes. Social media facilitates horizontal information flows, making it easier to organize collective actions and street protests, as demonstrated by the Black Lives Matter movement. The internet has also changed how voters consume political information, providing continuous access to news and political discussions. As a result, politicians can pursue support from voters 24/7, utilizing various media formats to deliver their messages.
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Political newcomers can leverage social media to gain recognition and compete against incumbents
Political campaigns have been reshaped by digital technology, with social media playing an increasingly important role in how politicians connect with voters. This is especially true for newcomers, who can leverage social media to gain recognition and compete against incumbents.
Political newcomers face significant barriers when entering the political arena, often lacking the financial resources and connections to influential donors that incumbents possess. Social media provides a cost-effective solution, allowing newcomers to gain recognition and compete for support without the need for large campaign budgets. In fact, research has shown that within the first month of using Twitter, newcomers were able to raise between 1% and 3% of what they would have raised in a traditional two-year campaign. This advantage is not driven by age or technological savviness but by the ability of social media to provide a more personal connection with voters.
Social media allows newcomers to humanize themselves, sharing their perspectives and connecting with voters on a more individual level. This can be particularly effective for local runners who may need to distance themselves from their party and appeal directly to their constituents. By utilizing social media platforms, newcomers can present themselves as more accessible and relatable, satisfying media logic and public demands for more transparency and authenticity from their political candidates.
Additionally, social media provides a platform for grassroots campaigns, amplifying voices that have traditionally been silenced or marginalized in the political sphere. It enables conversations and the spread of information, increasing public awareness and engagement. This was evident during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, where social media played a pivotal role in organizing demonstrations and disseminating information that ultimately led to the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.
Furthermore, social media allows newcomers to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and connect directly with voters. This can be especially beneficial in reaching younger voters, as seen with the German far-right group Alternative für Deutschland, which gained significant traction among young people through its active presence on TikTok. By leveraging multiple social media platforms, newcomers can increase their visibility and reach a wider audience, including those who may not typically engage with political content.
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Data-driven campaigning relies on algorithms and automated systems to inform strategic decisions
Data-driven campaigning is an increasingly important aspect of political campaigns. It involves the use of algorithms and automated systems to inform strategic decisions, rather than relying solely on human judgment. This shift towards data-driven campaigning is particularly pronounced in the United States, where data-driven campaigning is prevalent, while European regulations tend to be more restrictive.
Data-driven campaigning relies on maintaining an extensive database that offers profound insights into voters. This goes beyond considering their demographic traits and delves into their preferences, personalities, and even psychological profiles. This detailed information helps create a nuanced portrayal of the target audience, which can be used to guide strategic decisions regarding the campaign's messages, intended recipients, and choice of communication channels.
For example, in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, a study examined the presence of negative rhetoric in the social media posts of congressional candidates. The study found that the campaign context, gender, and partisanship affected the likelihood of candidates using negative rhetoric in their tweets. Additionally, challengers, those in competitive races, losers, women, and Democrats were more likely to use anxious, sad, and angry words in their tweets during the run-up to Election Day.
While no political party has fully transitioned to a completely data-driven approach, parties now place greater emphasis on various forms of individual-level data compared to past elections. This shift is enabled by digital technology, which has evolved from being perceived as a niche tool to becoming an essential component of political campaigns. Social media has played a significant role in this transformation, as it provides a direct line of communication between politicians and voters, allowing for personalization and emotionalization in election campaigns.
Furthermore, social media has helped level the playing field in politics by providing a low-cost platform for political newcomers to gain support, raise money, and compete against incumbents. For example, Wharton's Pinar Yildirim found that within the first month of using Twitter, politicians were able to raise between 1% and 3% of what they would have raised in a traditional two-year campaign. This gain was amplified when candidates included hyperlinks to additional information and helped newcomers connect with their constituents.
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The internet has changed how political information is shared and understood, making practically unlimited amounts of political information available to voters
The internet has had a profound impact on the way political information is shared and understood, revolutionizing the landscape of political campaigns. One of the most significant changes is the sheer volume of political information now available at voters' fingertips. With the internet, people are no longer limited to traditional media outlets, such as newspapers or television news, for their political information. Instead, they can access practically unlimited amounts of information online, anytime and anywhere. This has led to a continuous stream of online political discussions, with voters actively engaging with and contributing to the discourse.
The internet has also played a pivotal role in reshaping how political campaigns are conducted. Campaigns can now leverage digital technology to target specific voters with tailored messages, utilizing data from social media, voter databases, online behaviors, and psychographics. This data-driven approach allows campaigns to segment voters based on various factors, including demographics, interests, behaviors, and voting history. By understanding voter preferences and personalities, campaigns can strategically craft and deliver content that resonates deeply with specific voter groups.
Social media platforms, in particular, have emerged as powerful tools for political campaigns. They offer low-cost channels for political newcomers to gain recognition and raise funds, helping to level the playing field in politics. Additionally, social media facilitates direct communication between politicians and voters, enabling personalization and emotionalization strategies that forge deeper connections with the target audience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok provide opportunities for politicians to present themselves beyond their political parties, foregrounding their personalities and perspectives.
While the internet has expanded access to political information, it has also raised concerns about privacy, ethics, and transparency. The vast amount of data collected by social media platforms can be used for targeted political advertising, influencing voters' perceptions and potentially contributing to polarization. Additionally, the rapid propagation of information on social media can impact the reputation of political figures, as the spread of negative information can be damaging. Overall, the internet has had a transformative effect on political campaigns, changing how information is shared and understood, and empowering voters with unprecedented access to information and engagement opportunities.
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Frequently asked questions
Internet personalisation helps political campaigns by allowing politicians to directly communicate with voters, raising their profiles and making them seem more accessible and human. This can be particularly beneficial for political newcomers, who can use social media to gain recognition and raise funds without the need for expensive advertising campaigns.
Internet personalisation allows political campaigns to target voters by leveraging in-depth data from social media, voter databases, online behaviours and psychographics. Campaigns can use this data to group voters by age, gender, ethnicity, income, political views, or issues of concern, and then deliver tailored content that resonates with specific voter groups.
Internet personalisation can help political campaigns raise funds by providing a direct line of communication with potential donors. Social media platforms, in particular, allow campaigns to reach a wide audience and tap into small contributions from individuals who may not have otherwise donated through traditional channels.
Internet personalisation helps political campaigns spread their message by making political information easily accessible and available to voters 24/7. Social media platforms facilitate the rapid propagation of information, allowing campaigns to reach a large audience and compete for attention with content that is more personalised and issue-based.
