While apps and hashtags have been all the rage this election season, another age-old mechanism has surfaced thanks to social media: Good old-fashioned peer pressure.
Hey, did you vote yesterday? Oh, thats right you told me in some odd million ways that you did: You hit the Facebook Im Voting button, checked in to your polling place using Foursquare and received your I Voted badge that you then tweeted out using the #ivoted hashtag. And then there was that possibly illegal photo of your ballot and local polling place you posted on Instagram.
This is being called the social media election the first time that candidates and the world are using social media to campaign, predict, and get out the vote. But after today, its clear this is our peer pressure election.
Up until now, social networking efforts have been focused on educating users, as well as serving as data sources for a barrage of infographics and charts (the effectiveness of these being debateable). But things took a turn yesterday as the polls opened: Social networks were flooded with bragging rights, badges, pictures, and hashtags showing off civic engagement.
When did participating in politics on the civic level warrant a pat on the back from your entire social circle? People have been voting for a really, really long time and that little sticker used to be enough. Talking about politics and voting traditionally was a private matter, something you kept close to the chest because it wasnt polite to initiate a potential disagreement.
Of course, nothing is personal anymore. Social networking made it okay and normal to talk about what you had for breakfast, whether or not you should cut your hair, how exactly you feel about your new running shoes everything. Everything is relevant and interesting and up for discussion even if its not. So, of course, thats going to include politics.
Its been made cool to get politically involved and motivated, and to simultaneously flood your friends feeds with near-threatening statements about voting. The same people that youve seen posting drunken bar photos and needy song lyrics and bathroom mirror-taken profile pictures have also been the ones bragging about their vote and urging shaming, even you to do the same. Every time I got an app-prompted email or text pushed from a friend or saw a tweet or Facebook post roll in touting their voting accomplishment and telling me to be as politically engaged as they are and do the same, I just want to scream, Yes. Got it. I voted too, I just dont feel the need to scream it from the rooftops. Way to go for doing the bear minimum in a functioning democracy, something that people in other countries fight and die for. Youre a national hero!
But heres the thing: If it worked, if it increased voter turnout, then it was worth it. One thing we already know is that the youth vote looks to be even more important during this election than four years ago. As of press time, national exit polling shows that 19 percent of the electorate was between 18 and 29 and that Obama won this group by 24 points in fact, Obama captured 60 percent of the youth vote.
A study also shows that being able to hit this button and immediately share your activism is motivating people to vote, and that just seeing it is also increasing voter turnout. Theres also this report from the American Political Science Association that explains people get a kick out of others recognizing their activism:
Read more:
How social networking and peer pressure swept Obama to victory