Many people view social media as a
fun way to connect and share opinions with people that they may not see on a
day-to-day basis. Connecting with old friends or even celebrities is a
prominent feature of the social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter but do
we ever think about “what if the president was on Twitter?” Social media is now
allowing politicians to connect with the public in a way that they never could
before. They can send out more messages
to the general public, or even answer questions from specific voters in a
faster, easier, way.
In
contrast, many people think that having social media profiles for politics can
hinder their social appearance. “What you say can be broadcast to the world in
a click” said Todd Sanders a social media specialist for a FOX 11 Online video report. A lot of times when
people use Facebook or Twitter they are just saying what comes to mind
immediately and they do not consider how others will react to what they say.
Politicians do not have the luxury of speaking totally freely online. State Representative from Green Bay Eric
Genrich commented on the situation saying “If you’re not comfortable with your
mom hearing what you’re saying or reading what you’re saying, then you probably
shouldn’t say it.” Genrich brings up a good rule of thumb for anyone using
social media but especially these politicians who should be careful of what
toes they may step on with their comments.
Samantha Rollins took to The Week's news site to give tips on what politicians should never say or do on social media.
“It's easy, so people can express themselves out there 24/7 and they don't always think about what they're saying. I think that's the big drawback” says Sanders on the effectiveness of social media in politics.
Social media is moving at a pace where students are running to keep up. Amanda Havens of Albright College's student government says she "tries to keep up with everything going on in the world of social media." As far as her campaign and time in her current office goes Havens "did not really utilize social media" but rather stuck to old fashion campaign channels. "The only thing I really used social media for was sending out Facebook messages to make sure everyone voted but it was more of a reminder to vote in general than a persuasion to vote for me." Havens does like to keep up with everything social media and has seen some politicians' Facebook or Twitter but states that she would rather them "stay away from social media."
“It's easy, so people can express themselves out there 24/7 and they don't always think about what they're saying. I think that's the big drawback” says Sanders on the effectiveness of social media in politics.
Social media is moving at a pace where students are running to keep up. Amanda Havens of Albright College's student government says she "tries to keep up with everything going on in the world of social media." As far as her campaign and time in her current office goes Havens "did not really utilize social media" but rather stuck to old fashion campaign channels. "The only thing I really used social media for was sending out Facebook messages to make sure everyone voted but it was more of a reminder to vote in general than a persuasion to vote for me." Havens does like to keep up with everything social media and has seen some politicians' Facebook or Twitter but states that she would rather them "stay away from social media."
Interesting approach! Be sure to use links and cite sources when you're using quotations from other websites. [For example: “What you say can be broadcast to the world in a click” said Todd Sanders a social media specialist.] Why is this topic coming up in the news now? Your idea of relating this to SGA media use is a good one.
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