Arts and Humanities Commons^™

In the wake of the Arab Spring in 2010 and the successful Obama election campaign of 2008, the importance of social media in the communication processes surrounding protest movements and political strategies became highlighted. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube became platforms through which individual citizens shared political messages and organized collective action in the Middle East, while similar platforms were used by political organisations in the US to reach sections of society overlooked by mainstream campaign strategies. Studies of the use of social media have focused on the impact social media has on the democratic divide, its relevance as a means …