Historically, young people have been less interested in politics than their older counterparts. However, smartphones could shake up the elections in 2016 as social media companies find ways for young people to get involved with the presidential candidates. Take a look at how these politicians use smartphone apps during their campaigns and how that trend might impact the 2016 elections.
Rand Paul Reaches Young Voters with Snapchat
Image via Flickr by Rand Paul for U.S. Senate 2010
Snapchat is America’s fastest-growing pp in 2015. It became famous as a way for teens to share pictures with each other on their smartphones; the images vanish after viewing, so no trace is left of their existence. Snapchat is also evolving into a political outlet. Rand Paul uses Snapchat in his political campaigns, and more politicians can take advantage of the app for the 2016 elections.
Joe Biden Turns to Buzzfeed to Raise Awareness
Image via Flickr by richiec
BuzzFeed publishes interesting stories, many of which go viral. Buzzfeed also has a mobile app to make accessing the content easier on a smartphone, which could make it a major player in the 2016 elections. Buzzfeed took off during the 2012 presidential election. They were the first to report of John McCain’s endorsement for Mitt Romney. Now, Buzzfeed is used by politicians to raise awareness. For instance, Joe Biden is practically a star on Buzzfeed, with articles like, “7 Reasons Why Vice President Biden Thinks You Should Get Covered by March 31.”
Jeb Bush Posts Amateur Videos on Instagram
Image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore
In January 2015, Jeb Bush posted a video on Instagram to announce his Super PAC, Right to Rise campaign. It was an amateurish video filmed vertically, but it did get a lot of hits on Instagram. The video could never have gained as much traction if it had simply been posted on Jeb Bush’s website for Right to Rise. Jeb Bush is taking a direct-to-social-network strategy to gain more traction. Instagram, which is compatible with 4G LTE Capable smartphones and looks best displayed on larger screens like the Samsung Galaxy S5’s 5.1″ Full HD display screen, could really shake up the 2016 presidential race. This is because the images and videos posted on the image-sharing social media site can humanize politicians and help them connect with audiences they wouldn’t normally reach.
Hillary Clinton Posts YouTube Videos
Image via Flickr by marcn
Candidates in 2016 will target social media users, and those on smartphones, to get more attention than they could garner through traditional press releases, conferences, and tours. Hillary Clinton started her campaign through a YouTube video. Since consumers spend more hours using the Internet on their smartphones than on their computers, politicians might approach the 2016 elections with content geared toward mobile browsing.
President Barrack Obama Is an Active Twitter User
Image via Flickr by Intel Photos
In 2008, President Obama tweeted his victory on Twitter and only received 157 retweets. However, he did the same thing when he won the presidential election in 2012 and that Tweet received over 800,000 retweets. That shows how quickly Twitter has become a social network not to miss. In 2016, all presidential candidates are expected to use Twitter and other social media outlets to make announcements and broadcast details about their campaigns. Most people that use Twitter do so from their smartphone. It’s a quick and easy way to tell others what you are up to.
Almost All Politicians Are on Facebook
Not surprisingly, Facebook is one of the biggest social networks politicians use to spread their messages. It has been around for over a decade now, and Facebook reported that there are approximately 1.9 billion active mobile users. That’s an increase of 26 percent from last year. Traditional methods of presenting messages to the public are not appealing to young voters. That’s why you can find a fan page for practically every politician on Facebook. It is definitely a network that is going to be inundated with political messages for the 2016 presidential race.
As more phones emerge on the market with faster Internet, more people will use mobile apps. Politicians are turning to these social media apps to reach the masses in a relatable way. They will definitely shake up the 2016 presidential elections with their reach.
