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Digital media has increased its domination of the political sphere, especially with social media. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become a significant part of the political engagement process with regard to to elections, campaigns, or elected officials trying to connect with their constituencies. Social media globalizes communication. Especially political communication, fostering discussions and connecting communities as it reaches a significant amount of people. Amidst all of these outlets, Twitter is the form of social media that’s primarily used by candidates running for public office, elected officials, and government agencies.


 * Currently, in the 115th Congress, 428 out of 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have Twitter.


 * On the Senate side, all 100 members are active on Twitter.

Members of Congress use Twitter, and other forms of social media, to connect with their constituency. Members use social media to convey their stances on important issues, bills they have sponsored or have positions on. They use it to post about events they are hosting and the work they do in Congress. This includes meetings with constituents in Washington and back in their districts. According to former Congressman George Miller, Twitter is a mechanism to answer questions from people in his district. Conversely, Representative John Culberson said he uses Twitter to assist people in engaging themselves in their government. Many of these sites provide features for people to connect with their elected officials. For example, on Facebook the Town Hall feature connects users with their federal, and state officials. According to PEW Research center 20% of people who use social media have taken advantage of the fact that they can connect very easily with their officials by a simple “like” or “follow.”


 * In addition, there have also been various trends in the differences of uses between political parties in the United States and their usage of social media. In the 111th Congress, when Twitter was still fairly new; over half of Republican members of the House of Representatives were active on twitter. Democrat members had 30.2% while their counterparts had 69.8%.
 * When it comes to citizens, according to PEW, 32% of conservatives follow their elected officials on Twitter, and 27% of Democrats follow their officials.

Social media has a significant influence on political campaigns. The use of social media helps both candidates and constituents connect with one another. During the 2016 election cycle, candidates would post 5-7 times and would tweet 11-12 times a day.

For candidates, Facebook brings publicity and enables them to communicate effectively to the voters. This information has become very valuable for candidates. One super Political Action Committee that was anti-Trump, spent $9.9 million dollars in digital media. For candidates, social media provides them with a platform to highlight their ideas, and curate what they would like voters to see. According to the PEW research center, 35% of users of social media have taken advantage of sites like Facebook, in getting out to vote. Therefore, it has become a valuable tool for candidates. In the 2012 reelection campaign for President Obama, the campaign used over 15 different methods of social media. This was to reach out to a broader audience. Social media provides a mechanism for candidates to directly engage with society and potential voters. In Romania, during the elections for Mayor in a town called Bacau only 3/10 candidates used Facebook in 2012. In 2016 all of the candidates engaged in the use of social media and Facebook.

Social media also provided candidates with an insight into predicting the outcome of votes, which are more accurate than normal polling methods. Social media is a tool for campaigns as it provides an analysis as to the political climate, as well as the levels of engagement.

For potential voters, social media is a way to get information. According to the PEW research center, 44% of the voting population surveyed used social media as a way to get information about the 2016 election. This was significantly more than print newspapers at the local and national level. Furthermore, 24% of those surveyed claimed that they directly got information about the election at the national level from the two candidates; Donald Trump, and Hillary Clinton.