Social media: more than a platform of information

I am sitting in a car driving home from Thanksgiving break thinking; always a dangerous moment when my mind is free to wander.  As the semester is drawing to a close, I have been thinking about our discussions throughout the semester, specifically how much social media and other forms of “the new media” have influenced our modern political arena.  While we have had multiple discussion questions posted on the impact of social media in politics, nearly all of them have been reliant on the notion of social media as a platform from which ideas are to be spread. As I was thinking about this, I began to think about other ways social media has influenced the political game.

In June of 2013, a representative of the state of California became the first sitting Congressman to vote on a bill by using social media.  Representative Eric Swalwellchose to use Vine, a social media service designed to let users post short video clips with their mobile devices.  Congressman Swalwell was certainly not the first person to use such a service in order to further his message, but he was the first politician to actually vote via social media (that I have ever been aware of).  If an active member of the US House of Representatives voting off of a social platform isn’t an example of the power of social media in politics, I really don’t know what is.

Later on in the same month there was yet another example of social media usage outside of furthering a message.  Texas Senator Wendy Davis was slotted to speak on an anti-abortion bill.  Once she received the podium, the Senator launched a 13 hour long filibuster.  While it is hardly newsworthy to speak about a filibuster on the Senate floor over abortion, it is unique that social media directly supported her filibuster.  Prior to taking the stage Senator Davis had sent out a message with her plans via Twitter.  Additionally, she asked her supporters to help her in her quest by sending personal stories and testimonials.  During the filibuster, these stories were read aloud as they were instantly streamed to her hand via social media.  As evidence to further social media involvement, Facebook and Twitter users were actively streaming their accounts of the filibuster to the world, resulting in a play-by-play account what was happening on the Senate floor.

Both of these examples demonstrate the power of social media’s involvement in our political system, albeit in non-traditional methods.  Most frequently candidates will spread their message far and wide by using cheap and powerful tools like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube.  Representative Swalwell and Senator Davis both found outside the box ways to incorporate one aspect of the new media into their political agenda, further demonstrating the intersection of politics and media.