Local Expert Weighs In On The Role Social Media Plays In Elections
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Social media, many use it to post pictures, communicate with friends, and even receive news, but does it play a role in the way people vote in elections?
Dr. Matthew Kerbel, Chair of the Political Science Department at Villanova University, thinks it may play a part.
"I think social media has a positive influence on political engagement. Although keep in mind that being media savvy may be a necessary condition for reaping the benefits of being connected online, but candidates still need to offer enough to voters to get them to engage."
Speaking of engagement, Facebook recently launched an interactive dashboard that displays candidates' "likes" and even shows how many of your friends have liked and discussed a candidate.
So does this mean lawn signs, door-to-door campaigning and cold calls are becoming a thing of the past?
"When a friend reaches out about a political candidate, you are far more likely to listen than if a stranger called you. Apart from the partisan opportunities this provides, it is also a healthy development for democracy," Dr. Kerbel says.
This begs the question, as social media becomes a major platform for campaigning, can it actually have an effect on voter turnout?
"During the television era, we saw people disengage from political participation. Social media appears to be reversing this long-established trend."
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