Social Networking in Politics Alejandro Mandujano

Social Networking Is the use of dedicated websites and applications to communicate informally with other users, or to find people with similar interests to oneself.

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Social Media in Action Online Activity: During the 2012 election, 39% of all American adults took part in some sort of political activity on a social networking site. These users are referred to by Pew as “political social networking site (SNS) users.” Petitions Go Digital: 22% of Americans surveyed signed a paper petition in 2012 and 17% reported to have signed a petition online. Election Stats: Obama’s Twitter following in 2008: 118,000 followers. Obama’s Twitter following in 2012: 20+ million. In 2012, he also engaged with his followers by hosting Twitter Town Hall meetings, utilizing trending hashtags, and made Twitter history with his post-election tweet. Sharing is Caring: Of American adults who use social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, 28% have shared political news on their social networks for friends and family to read. Social media as a platform: 60% of users who are politically active online have expressed a political or social belief via online channels — like ing government officials or online petitions. Social Sharing: 43% of SNS users decided to learn more about a political or social issue because of something they saw on social media. "Younger adults and are much more likely to be politically active on social networking sites“ New wave of political activism: 18% of respondents took action on a political or social issue because of something they read on a social networking site. Offline Implications: Social media engagement leads to offline involvement – 83 percent of political SNS users got involved in political or social issues offline in Age matters: While younger adults are just as likely as older adults to be civically engaged, younger adults and are much more likely to be politically active on social networking sites, Pew finds. Political Contributions: While the bulk of contributions are made offline, the Internet is a growing space for political contributions, with around 23% of political donors making only online contributions in 2012.

Top 10 Social Networking Sites 1. Facebook – 701 million 2. Qzone – 611 million 3. QQ – 500 million 4. Google+ – 359 million 5. YouTube – 300 million 6. Twitter – 297 million 7. RenRen – 184 million 8. Youku Tudou – 170 million 9. LinkedIn – 160 million 10. Sina Weibo – 46 million

Pros on Social Networking in Politics Social networking sites spread information faster than any other media Law enforcement uses social networking sites to catch and prosecute criminals. Social media allows for quick, easy dissemination of public health and safety information from reputable sources

Cons on Social Networking in Politics Social media enables the spread of unreliable and false information. Social networking sites lack privacy and expose users to government and corporate intrusions. Using social media can harm job stability and employment prospects Criminals use social media to commit and promote crimes Social media can endanger the military and journalists Social networking sites' advertising practices may constitute an invasion of privacy Social networking site users are vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, identity theft, and viruses.

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