Social media changing American politics


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SALT LAKE CITY -- From live-tweeting debates to getting a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of politicians, social media has changed this election.

But will any of it matter tomorrow when voters mark their ballots? Though you can't vote online, 58 percent of Americans get the majority of their political news from social media, and 88 percent of adults on social media are registered voters.

Campaigning isn't just about knocking on doors and making phone calls these days -- candidates know social media now plays a major role. They are active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In and YouTube.

President Obama is the most popular politician in the world on social media, while Mitt Romney is number two.


This is the beginning of a real change in politics.

–John Johnson


Some Utah politicians also harness the power of the Internet.

"A new person, an up-and-coming person can leverage the power of social media to help them," said John Johnson of Politicit.

Mia Love is the prime example. She is the most tracked politician in Utah, with nearly 40,000 likes on Facebook. By contrast, her challenger Jim Matheson has just under 5,000.

"It's a cheap, easy way to spread the message," said Love's social media director, Michael Jolley. "We're able to reach a lot of people in a less annoying way than the robocalls or the TV ads that people get tired of."

Ben McAdams, the democratic candidate for Salt Lake County mayor, has also embraced social media.

"You get to know people through Facebook or Twitter and then I meet them live and in person on the campaign trail and when they tell me their name, I recognize them," he said. "They're a friend, so to speak."

State senator and avid tweeter, Todd Weiler, says social media is the new meet and greet.

"It really does flatten the earth, if you will. It allows people to communicate on a very local level," he said.

But does any of it matter come Election Day? Do likes and followers turn into votes?

"You don't vote on social media," said Holly Richardson, a political activist and blogger. "You actually have to vote by mail or in person and that's where it really counts. "

While it might not translate that literally, Johnson believes social media and online buzz can fairly accurately predict winners.

"You do have an ability to forecast races," he said.

That's what he and his team at Politicit do. They boast a 90-percent success rate from past races.

"How many times do people go to Google and google Mitt Romney? How many times do they ask about the debates?" Johnson said.

Johnson believes the Internet searches, combined with online political news and social media involvement, factor in when voters are filling out their ballots. But he also emphasizes it's not just what candidates do online to get votes, it's how they keep those followers that matters in the long run.

"This is the beginning of a real change in politics," Johnson said.

Politicit has already predicted winners in a few of the high-profile races. They're calling an extremely close presidential race, with Obama just one point on their scale above Romney.

In the Love/Matheson matchup, Politicit predicts Love will come out on top by a longshot.

And they predict McAdams will prevail over Crockett in the race for Salt Lake County mayor.

We'll see just how accurate their predictions are come Tuesday night.

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Jennifer Stagg

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