The PoPolitics! I can't do me another nickel!

Politicians have always used social media as forms of propaganda. In the times of Ancient Rome and Greece, they would have their heads put onto coins or statues made of them in order to spread their face and their celebrity. The title of this post is reminiscent of that, as faces of politicians on coins changed a lot, and a nickel is a coin.
Nazi Germany in particular used poster propaganda, advertisements and films in order to enforce their message of anti-Semitism and patriotism. They had books, comics, magazines, films and radio broadcasts that when combined created an all-powerful message. This was extremely affective, and was one of the main reasons why the German people were almost completely brain washed to prevent them from acting out against the atrocities committed by the Hitler government.

This idea of propaganda has been updated and modified by the birth of modern social media. Politicians and potential candidates are using the Internet, mobile phones, television, and social networking sites etc, as convenient outlets to get their message across to their possible voters.

A very successful example of modern campaigning is that of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential crusade. He posted videos on YouTube and on his Facebook profile of speeches that he had made, along with interviews that he had done. This meant that even if someone was not able to go to one of Obama’s rallies, they can witness and support the movement through using the Internet. It was suggested that it was due to Obama being technologically savvy that gave him a massive advantage during the election. I believe that that would be completely true.

I’ve read articles stating that the youth of society show little to none interest in politics and elections. American youth in particular, where it isn’t mandatory that you vote, are a part of this ‘fact’. I think that by using social networking tools, politicians are more able to include young people, and provide them with an easy way to ‘get to know’ the politician. This helped to increase popularity within the voting population, regardless of age and social standing, as the internet is available to almost everyone.

Politicians have reached a new form of celebrity with the help of Twitter, where they are able to connect with their followers by posting Tweets just as other celebrities do, like Rihanna or Ashton Kutcher. Twitter is an effective way of making people instantly more likeable, as it makes them feel more human, and makes the followers feel as if they have a connection to the  celebrity because of what they tweet. Politics is traditionally known as a dry and ‘adult’ interest, but through the usage of social media websites and networks it is making politics more accessible and interesting.