Who's headed for the gold dome? Social Media may determine the answer.
It’s a gubernatorial election year! Massachusetts’ highest statewide office is up for grabs. And BostInnovation is curious — how has social and new media changed the campaign landscape?
Politics, like social media, is about conversation. No one wants to be talked at. Voter concerns and comments must be taken into consideration in every campaign statement, policy, and action. For this reason, social media seems like an easy place to engage the voting community. Campaign blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube become places for politicians to reinforce their political messaging directly to their constituents, free of media bias, at essentially only the cost of staff.
Here’s a quick look at all the candidates for governor in Massachusetts, including their websites, Twitter handles and Facebook Fan Pages:
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Democrat: Deval Patrick |
Republican: Charlie Baker |
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Independent: Tim Cahill
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Green-Rainbow: Jill Stein
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Even though the use of social media platforms is growing exponentially, are campaigns able to actually transform online interaction, trust, and popularity, to fundraising dollars, rally turnout, and eventual Election Day votes?
In the coming weeks, BostInnovation aims have in-depth conversations with each of the Massachusetts gubernatorial campaigns to discuss how they are using social and new media to run innovative and fresh campaigns to capture the hearts (and votes!) of Massachusetts residents.
The Massachusetts state elections are November 2, and polls are open from 7:00am – 8:00pm.
Not registered to vote? GET REGISTERED! Visit the Massachusetts Elections Division page for details.
Who do you think has the best online campaign so far? Let us know in the comments section below!
Do learn more about politics in general, follow the Politics topic on Pinyadda!
Tags: Charlie Baker, deval patrick, facebook, Governor Deval Patrick, Jill Stein, Op-Ed, Tim Cahill, Twitter
