From the very start, Bernie Sanders has differentiated himself from run-of-the-mill presidential candidates. Firstly, in the state of Vermont, he identifies as a Socialist. He voices ideas of free or dramatically subsidized higher education. But, according to an article on CNN.com, his main asset may be something a little less obvious. This article contends that Sanders’ ace in the hole lies in a social media website called Reddit. Reddit hosts AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions in which users are allowed to ask a person, such as a political candidate, anything they want. President Obama participated in an AMA session in 2012, and now many politicians are doing the same. The article states, “According to Reddit spokeswoman Ashley Dawson, Sanders is among the most active on the site, conducting his own Reddit AMA to 8,583,027 subscribers shortly after his run for the presidency, engaging directly with users about his presidency” (Codianni). The article makes a very strong argument that having an open discussion with a large number of followers is one of the main ways Sanders has been able to draw attention. It is promising to see a candidate who is willing to utilize social media in order to reach out to a large group of individuals in a contemporary yet professional manner. The article also points out that Sanders is effectively appealing to his target audience. His concern for the rising cost of tuition and for the job market relates heavily to young people, which is the main demographic on Reddit. With respect to how he is currently doing, it is very possible that 2016 could be the year of the Sand-man.
Codianni, Ashley. “Bernie Sanders’ Secret Weapon.” CNN. Cable News Network, 29 July 2015. Web. 30 July 2015.
Jill Costello says
I like the topic you chose! This post is very informative in a formal way. It really gives you all of the facts that many people don’t know about him!