It wasn't long ago that when you wrote to your local representative you had to get a stamp and go to your mailbox, then you had to wait a few weeks to get a response, if any. With the leaps in technology, today you don't have to mail anything besides a ballot. Maybe the reason the Post Office was considering closing on Saturday's was in-part for this reason.
What's clear is that the landscape of politics has changed dramatically. Social Media sites have turned candidates like Barack Obama, who quite possibly wouldn't have won the 2008 election otherwise, into donation machines. Because that is what it's all about. In politics, the candidates who raise the most money will likely win the election.
But also, the candidate who has the biggest social media budget will likely win the election. While Replublicans have called President Barack Obama the "food stamp" president, in 2008 the LA Times labeled Obama the first "Social Media" President because of his use of social networks in his campaign. In 2012, Obama's social media budget was 10 times that of Mitt Romney.
The social media hype is real and the candidate with the most active social media users is a serious contender for the presidency. In todays "social media" world, the candidate with the most active social media constituents, besides Obama, is arguably Ron Paul. Seriously, try explaining the rise of Ron Paul amongst young people. The former Texas congressman who ran for President in 1988, 2008, and 2012 is nearly 80 years old yet draws overflow crowds at places like Iowa State University.
Though Ron Paul won't be running for President in 2016, it's interesting to see if his son Rand Paul will be running 2016 and how much money he can raise against presumed challenger Democrat Hillary Clinton. Whichever the case, it's clear that social media will have an impact on the 2016 elections, just as they did in 2008 & 2012.
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