Civic Engagement through Social Media

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The Red Cross was able to raise over $8 million dollars in a single week thanks to social media like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

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More than 6.2 million people clicked on the “I Voted” button on Facebook

-Election Day 2010.

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During a recent address by President Obama, more than 5,000 tweets per second mentioned the death of Osama bin Laden. This was the highest rate ever.

What is “civic engagement”?

What is civic engagement?

• In 15 words or less, describe what it means to be civically engaged.

• You can write this on a piece of paper, or tweet @JanetAPLC or @TonyAPLC. Be sure to include #APLC in your response.

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Define Civic EngagementDefinition Characteristics

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Civic Engagement

The Vote: A Victory for Social Media, TooThe '08 election was a triumph for the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr as voters chronicled their experiences in words, photos, and video November 5, 2008, 9:50AM ESTBy Arik Hesseldahl, Douglas MacMillan and Olga Kharif

-Bloomberg Businessweek

The 2008 contest for the White House may go down in history as the first social media election. How else to explain the unprecedented role the Web played in this year's Presidential contest, an influence scarcely imaginable just four years ago? In 2004 many social networking sites were just getting off the blocks. YouTube, for example, was introduced early the following year. And micro-blogging sites like Twitter wouldn't emerge until the 2008 Presidential campaign was getting under way.

Many voters used social media sites simply to celebrate the voting process with friends. Nowhere was that more evident than on … Facebook, which kept a running tally of users who checked a box on the site to declare to their friends that they voted. As of 10:30 p.m. Eastern time, the number reached almost 4.9 million. Other Facebook users sent each other virtual Obama or McCain buttons, or pledged their support to either candidate with wall posts… "That peer-to-peer contact is a core part of actually driving voter turnout and behavior," says Facebook's chief privacy officer, Chris Kelly.

"Is Obama nervous about Virginia? I received two text messages in the past 10 minutes telling me to vote.” wrote Twitter user Robert Bluey… from the hotly contested state of Virginia. He referred to messages sent throughout the day to voters who had registered to receive text messages on their mobile phones. The missives implored them to vote and to exercise what influence they could on friends and family.

Republicans Sharpening Online Tools for 2012April 19, 2011By Jennifer Preston

-New York Times

“What Republicans recognized after Senator John McCain’s bruising defeat in 2008 is that Mr. Obama’s digital strategy was deeply integrated into his real-world campaign. Mr. Obama’s team used its Web site, e-mails and text messages to do more than broadcast his campaign message. The tools made it easier for people to donate online, to volunteer for the field operation, particularly in caucus states, and to assume responsibility for other aspects of the campaign, like assembling groups of neighbors for a chat and creating the Obama ’08 iPhone app.“

“Mr. Pawlenty introduced an innovative twist: a social gaming layer borrowed from Farmville and Foursquare that awards badges and points to supporters who participate more fully in the campaign. As an example, supporters get 10 points for connecting their Facebook account to the campaign’s Web site and 5 points for adding their Twitter account. If you post a message on your Facebook page or set up your own group, you get a badge.”

“We will use social media and the latest technology available to fuel the energy and commitment of folks on the ground, community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood, house to house, all around the country,” said Katie Hogan, a spokeswoman for Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign.

Panelists

Questions about social media and civic engagement

• In 15 words or less, what are some questions you have about civic engagement and social media.

• You can write this on a piece of paper, or tweet @JanetAPLC or @TonyAPLC. Be sure to include #APLC in your response.