Elected Officials Mastering Social Media for Political Gain

Will the politician who masters social media win the race?

There was a time when issues and questions were answered in a daily editorial in the local newspaper. Now we have elected officials at all levels of government utilizing social media and other online platforms as their “soap box” to get the word out. This methodology has even replaced a press conference when addressing constituents questions and concerns. The “sources” are publishing their own thoughts, content and information and they are controlling the message directly.

With the recent announcement of Mary Throne as a candidate for Governor, another election cycle is about to begin.

It makes voters wonder, “What will we witness during this next election?”

Recall this last mayoral election in Cheyenne. Mayor Orr ran a campaign completely on social media, along with her face to face interactions with community members; all of which was documented and posted online for mass distribution and exposure with Facebook. Cheyenne City Councilman, Dicky Shanor, posts content on his Facebook page addressing questions one by one and is constantly using twitter to keep community members and “followers” informed. Even the current President uses the 140 characters to bypass the traditional methods of the media. Therefore the question is, what is next?