Gregory Alston performs in his video “Gregory Alston has a Ritz clock” from last year’s campaign. Photo illustration, The Daily Mississippian.
Each year, Associated Student Body candidates stretch their creativity to find the most effective way to reach students. Social media has become more prevalent in student elections as candidates attempt to communicate with their voters.
Each ASB presidential candidate has supporters who are in charge of running various social media accounts.
Senior integrated marketing communications major Robert Heard is responsible for the social media accounts for presidential candidate Davis Rogers’s campaign.
“Basically what I’m doing is helping with brainstorming different ideas that we can do with graphics and different tweets and things that go out and basically trying to keep all that together,” Heard said.
Heard said working on the social media accounts is a team effort. He said teamwork is necessary in order to post each update at a crucial time during the day.
“I think it’s hugely about timing,” Heard said. “That’s the main part of the strategy. You can put something any time of the day on social media, and it will show up. If you find the right time then you get it out there when people are going to see it, and they’re going to share it.”
Freshman international studies major Alex Borst said he also thinks social media is a major component to the campaign process. Borst manages the Facebook account for presidential candidate Channing Lansdell.
“I think it’s probably one of the bigger parts (of the campaign process),” Borst said. “I know especially here we’ve got posters all over campus about different things. You get lost looking at all of the different things that are advertised, but with Facebook you can invite people, and you are forced to look at it.”
Freshman social work major Cole Putman is working with presidential candidate Jessica Brouckaert. He said social media is an important aspect of the campaign because it gives voters the opportunity to see a personal side of the candidates.
“I think social media plays a huge role in the way the candidate gets across to the voters,” Putman said. “I love it because I get to portray Jessica as who Jessica is personally — not just her as a candidate.”
ASB President Gregory Alston said social media played a role in his campaign’s success.
“Social media definitely has a strong impact on campaigns,” Alston said. “I saw it during my campaign last year. Of course we used Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, but I did have a pretty popular video. It got 12,000 views. It was called Thrift Shop, so that definitely helped out the campaign.”
As a senior, Heard said he has seen social media become a bigger component in the campaigns each year.
“When I first came here, Instagram wasn’t big,” Heard said. “Twitter was just kind of getting big. Facebook kind of went out there. Now we’re focusing so much on social media because everyone is on it it seems like, and everyone is looking at it. If you can put something out on social media it’s really going to get to everyone. It’s a lot better than putting out fliers places and just putting up a sign.”
— Allison Slusher
thedmnews@gmail.com
