Social Media & Campaign 2012: CMCL 334, Marty O'Mara

1. Social Media
&
Campaign 2012
Are candidates
making the
connection?
Marty O‟Mara

2. 2008 election finds place
for social media
• Obama campaign pioneers use [13]

3. Republicans join
the social media party
• Romney campaign offers campaign sign
app on iPhone, VP announcement app

4. So far, not so good
• Not far enough evolved
• Lack of response
• Failure to connect
• Miscues by parties

5. 1.) Both parties using
• Platform for messages
• Source of data for “micro-targeting”
• Tool to engage people in campaigns

6. 1.) Both parties using
• Platform for messages
• Source of data for “micro-targeting”
• Tool to engage people in campaigns

7. 1.) Both parties using
• Platform for messages
• Source of ‘micro-targeting’ data [3, 12]
• Tool to engage people in campaigns

8. 1.) Both parties using
• Platform for messages
• Source of data for “micro-targeting”
• Tool to engage people in campaigns

9. 2.) Young people not biting
(Part 1)
• Youths using
social media
even less, so
far, for
election
information
[10]

10. 2.) Young people
not biting
(Part 2)
• Cable TV main source
of election news [10]
• Social media are
co-evolving with
cable TV, as Fidler
noted in
‘Mediamorphosis‟
[4]

11. 3.) Why it hasn‟t spread
(Part 1)
• Most contact still
via traditional
forms
• One-way
communication
instead of
interactive

12. 3.) Why it hasn‟t spread
(Part 1)
• Most contact still
via traditional
forms [10]
• One-way
communication
instead of
interactive

13. 3.) Why it hasn‟t spread
(Part 1)
• Most contact still
via traditional
forms
• One-way
communication
instead of
interactive [3]

14. 3.) Why it
hasn‟t spread
(Part 2)
• Lack of general
interest in 2012
election [10]
• Privacy concerns:
„micro-targeting‟
and data sharing

15. 3.) Why it
hasn‟t spread
(Part 2)
• Lack of general
interest in 2012
election
• Privacy concerns:
„micro-targeting‟
and data sharing
[1, 12]

16. You don‟t have to wait
• Find an app or
website and
experiment
• Announce your
choice
• Speak your mind
• Get informed

17. References
• 1. Beckett, L. (August 2012). Is your neighbor a Democrat? Obama has an
app for that. ProPublica. http://www.propublica.org/article/is-your-
neighbor-a-democrat-obama-has-an-app-for-that
• 2. Cohen, Kahne, Boyer, Middaugh, Rogowski (2012) Participatory politics:
New media and youth political action. MacAurthur Foundation. Retrieved
from
http://dmlcentral.net/sites/dmlcentral/files/resource_files/ypp_survey_b
ody_cover.pdf
• 3. Delacourt Susan (July 2012). Is ‘new’ media becoming old hat in the
2012 U.S. presidential election? The Toronto Star.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1227281--is-new-
media-becoming-old-hat-in-the-2012-u-s-presidential-campaign
• 4. Fidler, R.F. (1997). Mediamorphosis: Understanding new media. London,
United Kingdom: Sage Publications Ltd.
• 5. Fitzpatrick, A. (July 2012). New tool connects Facebook friends with
political campaigns. Mashable U.S. & World.
http://mashable.com/2012/07/25/facebook-van/

18. • 6. Jenkins, H. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture:
Media education for the 21st century. MacAurther Foundation.
http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-
AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF
• 7. Levitz, S. (July 2012). Social media fire lit by '08 Obama campaign may
be burning out: professor. The Canadian Press.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/Social+media+fire+Obama
+campaign+burning+professor/6942036/story.html
• 8. Moore, M.T. (July 2012). Sunday news shows set political agenda, launch
Web debates. USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-07-23/Sunday-
morning-political-shows/56441886/1?csp=34news
• 9. Nissenbaum, H. (2011). A contextual approach to privacy online.
Dædalus, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences 140(4),
32-48.
• 10. Remez, M. (February 2012). Cable leads the pack as campaign new
source. Pew Research Center. http://www.people-
press.org/2012/02/07/cable-leads-the-pack-as-campaign-news-
source/?src=prc-headline

19. • 11. Tam, D. (July 2012). CNN and Facebook go all social on the 2012
election. CNET News. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-
57468774-38/cnn-and-facebook-go-all-social-on-the-2012-
election/
• 12. Vega, T. (July 2012). Voters say they are wary of ads made just
for them. New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/business/media/survey-
shows-voters-are-wary-of-tailored-political-ads.html?_r=2
• 13. Weiner, R. (August 2012), How to win the 2012 social media
campaign. Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-to-win-the-2012-
social-media-election/gJQA1qRyNX_topic.html