Because of the great connectivity the internet brings to the world, more harm can be done at the click of a button. This instantaneous ability to share information with masses of people has caught the eye of not only terrorist groups such as ISIS and the Mexican drug cartels a few years back, but also political leaders such as Obama.
In comparison to other presidents as well as presidential candidates, Obama, regardless of one’s political beliefs, has swept the court when it comes to dominating the various fields of social media– not only during his campaign but to promote different proposals of his, especially obamacare. With a younger generation representing the majority of voters, the greatest way to reach them and influence their ideas is through social media, whether intentions are good or bad.
Other young organizations use these same techniques to reach large amounts of people, such as ISIS. But instead of attempting to get a vote, they use social media to instill fear into large groups of people through viral videos and the like.
Social Media, through manipulation, is perhaps one of the greatest weapons this generation will ever see.