RODHAM: SOCIAL MEDIA TITAN

Business Insider (2011) reports that in the year 2008, Hillary Clinton attempted to use social media with hopes of surpassing her democratic opponent, Barack Obama. Sadly, Obama’s campaign exceeded its rival by using social media more effectively than Clinton’s. As a result, Obama’s support from the younger generation greatly outweighed the support gained for Hillary in that same aspect.

Soon after joining Obama’s administration, Clinton decided to follow his lead by developing a more static presence on the World Wide Web. The Wallstreet Journal (2015) proclaims that if the number of times a candidate’s name is mentioned on social media was an indicator of which potential candidates would be successful in the 2016 elections, Hillary Clinton would be a top competitor.

The former Secretary of State even encouraged governments, residing mainly in the Middle East and China, to allow free use of the internet for all individuals. BBC reports that Clinton refers to social media and the internet as the world’s “town square,” or a place to learn, discuss, and overrule policies held in oppressive areas.

Although Clinton doesn't personally manage a Facebook profile, affiliated organizations and non-affiliated organizations maintain her public image throughout the social media platform. Of all prospective 2016 candidates, Clinton’s name was reported by the Wallstreet Journal to be the most mentioned on Facebook.

Despite the fact that she only averages a tweet per week, about 2.83 million twitter users follow Clinton on twitter. Platforms like twitter can be used to humanize candidates and create personal bonds between them and the mainstream population. Clinton tweets to raise awareness of the groups she supports, share stories and pictures about her personal life, and solidify her polices and stances. The candidate even uses twitter to address those who oppose her.  For example, in the past Clinton used a subtle joke to poke fun at non-supporters.

Ready For Hillary

This website was created by a political affiliated committee that is personally dedicated to the draft of Clinton in the 2016 elections. In 2013, the committee raised over $4 million dollars for the Clinton campaign. When visiting the ReadyForHillary.com, viewers are able to donate to the campaign, shop for merchandise, and connect with the committee’s social media platforms. The Ready for Hillary Facebook profile has over 2 million likes.

Texts From Hillary Clinton

This particular website, created on Tumblr, shows Clinton as a very important woman who is always working and doesn’t have time to entertain others. Texts from Hillary Clinton uses humor to reinforce how determined Clinton is viewed to be by the public.

How Should Hillary Use Social Media in the Future?

Clinton has done a splendid job connecting with future voters, but there is always room for more. One innovative way for Hillary to connect with voters, would be for her create a personal Snapchat account. After sharing her username, she could snap videos and pictures to her Snapchat story. By allowing future voters to see what happens in her everyday life, voters will develop a personal connection with her and she will be successful.

Author: Larrian Kendricks

SOURCES:

(http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/02/18/in-2016-race-ted-cruz-and-hillary-clinton-are-the-titans-of-social-media/)

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-hillary-clinton-uses-social-media-as-a-political-diplomacy-tool-2011-12

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12476550

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_for_Hillary

https://www.readyforhillary.com/home

https://twitter.com/hillaryclinton

http://textsfromhillaryclinton.tumblr.com/