Social Media Has My Vote

When I was a kid, I remember my parents watching hours after hours of news coverage and endless debates to find out what each candidate believed. If it wasn’t the TV, it was the radio or the newspapers.

The wheels of political ideologies has now spread beyond those mediums and even beyond the technology that was used to distribute the information in the first place. It was easy to only regard the talking heads on TV as your only way to connect with the candidates.

The times, they are a’ changing.

You can still turn on the tv and radio to get your information, but when it comes to what you believe, you are more affected by your circles of family than Sean Hannity or Wolf Blitzer.

Now through Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social platforms, we are not only able to engage with the candidates (or at the very least,campaign volunteers) but the information about each has spread more quickly. You need not follow a candidate to learn about them, you only need to have followers or friends. With the continued evolution of social media, you can now literally pin your hopes on one candidate (i.e. Pinterest). The opinions on taxes, gay rights, abortion, healthcare are being shared non-stop on Twitter and Facebook.

Did you miss the debates? With the millions of users live-tweeting every minute of it, the presidential race has become near impossible to ignore. Comments and criticisms on every word spoken can be seen from state to state. Some in a positive way, some in an attacking way.

On this election Tuesday, although you may want to just hide under the bed, you value those social networks, you will be logging in and you will see the messages. Tweets and Facebook status updates will be flying faster than a Nyan cat.

Dont hide or let social networking go the way of TV and Radio.

Interact today, post Go Obama, Go Romney or Go Away. You are part of the network and without us, the citizens, interacting, it just becomes a breeding ground for negativity and hateful banter.

Today, you can be the difference and tomorrow you can resume instagramming cats and sharing images from someEcards.

by Rick
Senior Web Developer