Current Event 1

Political Snapchatting

Ipsos Mori, the global research company published an article about UK elections and social media relations  and the author says: "..seven in ten Britons (71%) feel that social media platforms are giving a voice to people who would not normally take part in political debate. This is particularly the case for young people (88% of 18-34s, compared with 56% of those aged 55+)." This idea is applicable for US population and its' social media users. Politics engage the young population through such social media platforms as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and others. The trend of transferring politics into social media language became even a compulsory element of election campaigns. One can easily find Donald Trump's facebook account or Hillary Clinton's Snapchat profile (@hillaryclinton). 

Snapchat is one of the new triggers of political campaigns' activities. It allows to reach a younger audience of 18-34 years old users, rather than Facebook's 18-65+ audience. Hillary's Clinton appearance on Snapchat became a sensation for potential voters. Usage of Snapchat creates a feeling that a person you see on your screen presents in your life, you know him or her and even the features of the application create an emotional addiction to the ones you follow. These features are effectively used by politicians and their PR managers. Updates of your Snapchat friends that appear often serve to create a certain trust effect and even a feeling of friendship. Here it becomes obvious that one will vote for a candidate that he or she follows and watches the candidate's videos on a daily basis. 

Virtual friendship in social media shows one side of a candidate's life. We become familiar, for instance, with some family members of Hillary Clinton, her habits and free time spending. However, we have no clue about her political activity, and young people who tend to spend more time using social media and not being informed about political claims of a candidate would base their decisions on her personality, on her relationship with her kids and etc. Therefore, I can say that usage of social media by politicians could possibly create a veil that hides main characteristics, that should be took in attention while voting. 

Information link: http://www.techinsider.io/hillary-clinton-joins-snapchat-2015-8