Let’s face it; Bernie Sanders is slowly taking over the Internet.
If there is one thing about the 2016 presidential election, it is that Bernie Sanders is burning up the social media networks. We do see a good bit about or from the other candidates, but oftentimes they are hit or miss as far as whether the piece is positive or negative. We see Trump in our newsfeed, but will the article be about some new absurd sound byte or actual news? Every candidate seems to almost have more of a pushback online; that is except for Bernie Sanders.
Guys like Trump might hold peoples attention and draw big numbers, but this crowd isn’t exactly electric. These voters may or may not share polls, news, groups or even decent memes with others, and their vote may not make its way to the ballot box. There’s no fire, no big blast of something we could call a movement with any other real candidate. Bernie Sanders not only has the fastest growing online support, but he is also rapidly gaining amongst first time voters who get most of their politics online.
We are talking about a massive group of individuals who have not voted before, many who will make their choice almost exclusively off of what comes across their device. I’m not suggesting people are naive or gullible; quite the opposite. What I am saying is that this new crowd is open to new thought, new possibilities, and carry with them that special kind of enthusiasm that can sweep in entire new eras. Anyone able can look back at the 2008 elections and see that Sanders is, more rapidly, becoming the fireball candidate.
What drives this entire machine is the supporters themselves. Now, I know you’re saying to yourself “Yea, all supporters are the reason candidates win.” What I am telling you is that Bernie Sanders is creating the kind of support system that is precise, well connected to the Digital Age, and more excited than any other group. Each Sanders supporter is out there, right now, sharing; be it memes, articles, blogs, photos, videos, groups, pages or any other form of message. All of this is creating a hurricane of positive information, swirling with genuine and earnest feeling, that literally feeds itself and grows.
These people, a group being added to by the minute, seem much more likely to actually vote. They have a unique freedom in that the message and candidate they support has unwaivering values and beliefs that give him more consistency and progressive thinking than anyone who has run in decades. If a voter is a Sanders supporter, they carry a certain invincibility with them. They aren’t very interested in bad mouthing anyone, because they know (if anything) that there isn’t too much about Sanders that you can draw scandal or negativity from.
You either like him, don’t or haven’t been exposed yet. It’s that simple with Sanders.
The thing is; Senator Sanders has had the same message for forty years. It is one that appeals to so many people, many who have been singled out in both times past and the present, who realize this message is about them. The message is a simple one of equality, and the result is that once you realize Sanders is so real it’s almost hard to actually believe, you become a part of that feverish gang of Sanders supporters that are out there getting others to “#FeelTheBern” everyday. These individuals realize that this isn’t a year where anyone has to vote for the lesser of two evils, but they can genuinely vote for a candidate they believe in.
The motivation for this “movement” is absolutely huge. Even those that aren’t powered on positive message alone understand what more dynasty politics will bring. They actually see what is going on with the ever aggressive and negative Republican race for nominee, and they feel compelled to do something about it. This group is more active than any other online when it comes to the election, and that translates well in 2016 to on the ground support and eventual votes as well. It is such a force that is closes the gap created by the mainstream media and TV viewers current distractions.
At the end of the day, the Sanders Supporters will only grow in numbers. They donate with passion, appear more involved overall, and placing themselves outside the typical realm of politics. I think that is part of what drives the entire thing; actually knowing that what you do and how you choose to use it can and will have an influence.
It is not every day we get the opportunity to connect on that sort of level, and I think the clean campaign operating in support of Senator Sanders is something that speaks to what it really means to feel a part of the political process. When people feel like what they believe can be accomplished, they unite in a way that many would define as a true movement.
Social Thought on World Topics 