The power of social media

I consistently hear from other liberals that just posting on social media has little to no effect on voting behavior. They offer instead that one must get out in the streets and protest, or run for office, or anything other than engage social media, which in their minds is ineffective.

But numerous empirical studies show quite the opposite. This one for example showed that targeted Facebook ads increased Trump voters by 10% in the 2016 election. This effect was strongest on non-college educated voters who used Facebook as their main news source. Social media also stimulates people that have lost interest in politics to vote, the typical non-voter.

This study shows how social media influences Millennials to get politically involved and to vote more consistently. Their social media use motivates them to contact their representatives and demand the sort of polices they want enacted. Social media provides them with real-time social interaction so that they feel included in the process, another voting motivator.

This study showed that people who consume more news media are much more likely to be civically engaged, including voting. It "suggested that messages on users’ Facebook feeds could significantly influence voting patterns." It noted there are now thousands of studies that show how social networking sites influence offline behavior.

It is also a well-documented fact that Russia invested considerable time and money on Facebook to disrupt our democracy by spreading misinformation to affect voting behavior, which effectiveness was demonstrable. That a foreign enemy knows knows how to use social media to achieve their ends is testament to its power and effectiveness. We who support democracy need to also recognize its potential to promote positive propaganda and to counter the negative spin to implement our own agenda.

It's also the difference between establishment Dem strategy with Sanders and The Squad. The former dismiss "that Twitter whatever" (Pelosey) while the latter know its impact and use it accordingly. Think of the huge popularity of AOC due in large part to her constant social media use to inform and influence.

The bottom line is that using social media is a quite effective means to influence political behavior. Yes, it is also important to get out in the streets to protest etc. But there are a variety of effective means necessary to get out the vote and motivate people to get politically involved.  Hence acknowledge this powerful tool and use it to achieve your desired political and electoral results, especially those who specialize in it's use as a main tool for that purpose. Their job is at least as important and effective as other means, if indeed not more so.