Online Communication & Public Opinion

The online landscape has transformed the dynamics of public opinion formation and communication strategies by giving people even more outlets to view in order to form judgments and opinions, as well as more outlets to voice these opinions.  When I think of this I immediately think of politics, and well, Donald Trump with Twitter.  Twitter gave Donald Trump another outlet to voice his concerns and opinions and with that comes a larger audience, the social media audience.  The comments that he posted on Twitter were seen all over the world and made more people form certain opinions of him, which in turn effected not only peoples opinions, but also votes, and the future of the United States as far as who would be in presidency.  "Politics is the intricate web of activities that revolve around a country’s government and its elected representatives’ official actions. It’s a dynamic field with its language, strategies, and tools. Central to this realm is political communication, a process that plays a pivotal role in shaping our societies and governments" (determined.com).  

Campaigns don't always have to include politics.  One great example of how an online campaign can impact public opinion formation was in 2015 when the brand "Always" created an online campaign with the hashtag "#LikeAGirl"(startupsmagazine.co.uk).  This campaign was actually a positive one and gave a large percentage of online audience a new and positive idea of what is it to be "like a girl."  I've included the link below if you'd like more on the campaign.  

There are many online campaigns that have created both positive and negative social media impacts.  One way that individuals and organizations can consider public opinions is by weighing all the outcomes, playing devil's advocate and understand the negative impacts, as well as the positive ones.  Once this has been completely thought out, then should a campaign be formed.  


Below is a controversial Pepsi Ad form 2017 that had a large effect on public opinion   

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/04/08/7-the-most-controversial-ads-our-time



https://startupsmagazine.co.uk/article-most-controversial-marketing-campaigns-social-media

https://www.determ.com/blog/how-social-media-is-transforming-political-communication/


Sources:

Mulcahy, E. (n.d.). 7 of the most controversial ads of Our time. The Drum. https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/04/08/7-the-most-controversial-ads-our-time 

Flockett, A. (n.d.). The most controversial marketing campaigns on social media. Startups Magazine. https://startupsmagazine.co.uk/article-most-controversial-marketing-campaigns-social-media 

Čuljak, S. (2023, November 28). How social media is Transforming Political Communication. Determ. https://www.determ.com/blog/how-social-media-is-transforming-political-communication/ 

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