Civic Engagement in the Digital Age

Civic engagement is very active in the new digital age. Online activity is rapid, highly utilized and has the ability to influence voter political participation. The ability to reach people also becomes easier. Campaigners are now able to reach a larger network in a short period of time. In the past campaigners administered social communication by recruiting anyone they could to go door to door to meet and talk with potential voters about a campaign. This is very difficult and time consuming especially if a campaign in being run in a rural area where the distance between home can be miles. Another on the ground strategy was to put signs on peoples lawns. This was often viewed as annoying and not aesthetically pleasing. With the use of social media, campaigns are now able to post a message and it can reach millions of people in one second. The effort of trying to recruit random people to represent the campaign is no longer a major priority.

Social media changed old political strategies on many levels. Social media makes campaigns more streamline and efficient. Social media reaches millions of people in seconds and campaigns create a prefect and more precise message for their followers and their campaign without worrying about any misunderstandings or miscommunication. Social media helps campaigns keep strong track records of how their decisions effect the behaviors of their followers because they can keep track of behavioral changes instantaneously.

The media is essential to presidential leadership and governance. With enhanced improvements in technology and increasing media viewers, the media has become the greatest determinant of the role of the president and governance. The media is both advantageous and disadvantageous to the presidents’ popularity. The media has always had a strong influence on voter behavior. This behavior has been studied and analyzed for decades.