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A big change in political campaigning since South Africa's last national elections has been the rise in social media. But how has this new dynamic manifested in South Africa, and to what extent is it a factor in political campaigning?

The use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube has emerged as an important electoral campaigning tool in recent years. Understanding the electoral power of social media could prove very rewarding for political parties, particularly in the lead-up to the 2014 national elections.

The potential impact of social media campaigning first became evident in the 2008 United States (US) presidential election. President Barack Obama's campaign included the use of sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, along with other social media such as podcasting and mobile messaging.

The election, dubbed by some the 'Facebook election', saw nearly 70% of the vote among Americans aged 25 years and younger going to Obama.

The number of his Facebook and Twitter followers increased on a daily basis, and the sites allowed users to publish activities and send postings to one another.

By 2011, Obama's Twitter account - @BarackObama, which he used to promote legislation and support for his policies - was the third Twitter account in the world to have at least 10 million followers.

In Africa, a recent example of the use of social media in an election campaign was during the 2013 general elections in Kenya.

Social media became one of the key tools used by most of the presidential candidates to engage with young voters. President Uhuru Kenyatta's use of social media and digital communication played an instrumental role in his election campaign.

Kenyatta's Facebook page received close to 500 000 'likes' or followers in the run-up to the elections, making it one of the most 'liked' pages in Kenya.

In a research study conducted by Portland Communications, Kenya has been identified as Africa's second most active country on Twitter, following South Africa. Kenya has over 14 million Internet users, many of whom make use of social media sites.

Original post:
South Africa: Will Social Media Influence Election Campaigning?