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Social Media and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election

This report is an analysis of social media in the 2008 U.S. presidential election from 30,000 feet. We evaluate conventional wisdom about social media and its applicability to political campaigns in particular and to public relations more generally. We contrast that conventional wisdom with empirical findings taken from the 2008 presidential campaign season, using data collected with Radian6. We place those findings in the context of existing research on political communication, political engagement, and the role of social media in communication campaigns. We conclude with predictions about future developments concerning social media, American politics, and reputation management using social media tools.