Social Media Plays Suprise Role in Election

7 May 2010

Micro-blogging site Twitter has proved an invaluable tool in providing the public with a voice throughout the general election.

Although initial predictions suggested that Twitter may have proved a powerful new propaganda tool in the election, it seems that the site instead provided a colourful commentary on political happenings.

The site was overrun last night with users utilising it to protest against the problems which were experienced at polling stations up and down the country. Facebook was also used by many dissatisfied voters who were turned away from voting polls. The stranded Sheffield students created a facebook group to vent their anger and within one hour the group had received 1000 members.

Social networking sites have also proved to be also a useful tool for the prediction of voter turnout, with over 1 million people clicking the "I've voted" button on Facebook, pre-empting the higher voting turnout amongst youngsters.

MPs and representatives from the main parties have used Twitter's 140-character updates throughout the election in an attempt to rally support. However very few members on the site have admitted to changing their voting choices based upon things they have read on Twitter.

Instead Twitter has been used throughout the election as a critique of rolling news coverage whilst showing its left leaning tendencies as labour supporters dominated the tweets throughout the campaign.

When the rightwing press attacked Nick Clegg, prior to the second televised leaders debate, a spontaneous Twitter campaign sprang up to defend him. Clegg later revealed that the thousands of jokes, blaming anything from the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud to Samantha Cameron's pregnancy as "Nick Clegg's fault", were among his campaign highlights.

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