Social Media: Formal? Informal?

Today, social media like Twitter, Facebook or MySpace is something majority of us will use. However, we tend to perceive it’s informality due to its functions and purpose. We probably used our own experience on these social media and determine its usage and tend to neglect its full potential as a social media. In other words, we simply use social media as a tool to allow our social network to stay connected. Take Twitter as an example, the most prominent function is probably to ability for us to release catharsis. We feel better when we “tweet” our sorrows and happiness and so we might simply degrade twitter’s function, thinking it is limited to on our informal social networking usage. On the same token, we will never imagine that Twitter, might be useful to anyone’s career or even an aid to become a president.

Back in 2008 presidential election, Senator Barack Obama was competing against Senator John McCain and Obama made a move which might lead him to clinch the presidency, and it is to simply create accounts of Twitter, Facebook and even MySpace. With the help of these social media, He was able to gather large, massive followings, and support he needed back then. He has used these platforms to further his agenda and to share his political message. “Followers” will then be able to acknowledge his agenda and this provided extended reach as compared to just media from television and news.

In addition, not only it provides extended reach to Obama’s quest to deliver his “Change”, this allows him to reach the younger demographics. People who just meet the eligible age for voting might not be a news addict and probably not know about politics. They might simply conform to the majority and vote blindly. Thus, with the help of these social media, younger demographics are able to understand more about the “Change” and probably have their own free will to choose.

Politicians must learn to go where their voters are and if their voters want to hear the issues and their take on them, they should deliver it to them in a format that they can readily accept and understand. The world has rapidly moved toward technology and there is absolutely no slowing down in terms of technology, new developments and speed. This might then be the reason why Senator McCain lost as he wasn’t technological savvy and I recalled one clipped that was showed in class, if I’m not wrong, he doesn’t know how to use the computer.