Social Media & Election Night Coverage

            The presidential election is often called the biggest media event of the year, with months of extensive media coverage leading up to the big finale that happened last night. In comparison to previous elections, the role of communication remains unchanged. However, the mediums and methods through which information is disbursed, shared, and exchanged via contemporary information technology and media is constantly changing, as seen by the significant changes in election night coverage from 2008 and 2012.

            Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign was widely regarded as one of the first major (and successful) efforts by a candidate to harness the power of social media. Many scholars and pundits alike have analyzed the Obama campaign’s use of platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and some have cited this as a key tool in his success with communicating to younger generations and earning their votes. This year’s presidential campaign witnessed similar use of social media by both candidates, but what was especially interesting was the notably increased incorporation of social media into election night reporting.

            On the day before the big day, The New York Times ran an article titled, “Facing an Election Night Clamor: Networks Vow Restraint Amid an Onslaught of Social Media.” It notes that this year’s election will be different from any others preceding it in the “level of noise on the Web, where armchair and professional pundits alike will react to the election results in real time.” In 2008, a small handful of websites such as Slate and Time.com called Barack Obama’s victory before any of the major networks or newspapers announced official results. However, four years later, this tendency to “call” or announce results before all votes have been counted and accounted for spread to the far larger base of social media users not only nationwide, but also worldwide. I noticed on Facebook and Twitter that friends across the U.S. and overseas who were tracking election results celebrated (or lamented) what they perceived to be a clear path to victory for Obama—much earlier in the evening than major media outlets.

            Social media has become incorporated into news coverage to the extent that ABC news created an unprecedented role held by Katie Couric as the social media reaction correspondent—“a role that did not exist on the network’s coverage last time.” News media agencies’ turn to social media as real-time sources of information has also shown its problems. Just last week, CNN reported a false rumor about flooding at the New York Stock Exchange during Hurricane Sandy. Monitoring social media for timely information on the public’s reaction to certain events definitely has its appeals. However, the role of social media as information sources for news networks is questionable and is something that should be monitored over the long term.