53% Of Internet Users Believe Social Media Affects Politics

The 2010 General Election may not have been the "Internet election" many thought it would be. But across the Atlantic the 2008 Presidential election was the most technically advanced, Internet savvy election ever mounted with all candidates executing online engagement strategies that targeted both core and first time voters with large social media operations.

New research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project  has found that 53% of Americans felt that social media helped them get a candidate elected to office while 46% believe that the Internet plays a major role in getting the word out about a cause.

While a large part of this can be put down to the huge increase in the number of people using social media in the last couple of years, the new and social media operations that were used as part of the 2008 election cycle can be credited with spearheading the integration of politics with social media.