A Study on the Electoral Campaigns Through the Use of Social Networking Sites in the Philippines

Abstract

Candidates are looking for ways to garner votes to help them win a seat in public office. Users and usage of social networking sites are rapidly increasing annually. Together, candidates have started campaigning on social networking sites. This research would benefit candidates seeking to run for public office. Campaigning on social networking sites is relatively less expensive compared to traditional media, which then helps maximize the candidate’s resources. This is a quantitative research that studies the effectiveness of social networking sites when used during a candidate’s campaign. Survey questionnaires were distributed to respondents of voting age and all questions led to asking if campaigns on social networking sites would help them favor a candidate. Related literature was also used as basis for comparison. The research revealed that although social networking sites are trending, it is still not effectively translating into votes for the candidates who choose to campaign on social networking sites. The respondents still preferred campaigns on traditional media as opposed to campaigns done on social networking sites. Continuous research must be done to monitor the changes in the trend of whether or not campaigning on social networking sites would prove to be beneficial to a candidate and help him or her win the elections.