Social Media in Elections

The rise of Facebook and Twitter has been impressive throughout the years.  In 2008 when Obama and Mccain were vying for presidency it seemed like a no brainer to speak to the public through a booming source.  Well at least it seemed like a no brainer for President Barack Obama who plastered "HOPE" and "CHANGE" on several social media sites.  He had a Facebook group made in support of the election and he had his own Twitter (it was later found out his staff tweeted instead of him) and just like that he had millions of fans.  He became the cool choice for President because of his choice to embrace the internet and technology while Mccain seemed out of date.
In the 2012 election, both candidates had pages on Facebook, and Obama started using his Twitter account in 2009 so he was the one tweeting to his followers.  But Obama's previous term kept him far far in front of Mitt Romney in the fan count on social media sites even if the actual count of people was closer than it seemed.
In the end, the use of social media I won't say won the election, but it did create a huge fan base in the 2008 election and remained constant in the 2012 election.  The use of social media helped Obama relay his messages to anyone who wanted to know.  It was more then announcing it in a campaign because social media seems more individual.  When Obama tweets, you can respond, and when the Obama posts something on Facebook, you can post something back.  Social media, among other things, helped Obama earn himself two terms in office.