#4 Twitter Then and Now

As the usage of Twitter increases I thought it would be important to do an infograph of how Twitter has changed since the 2008 presidential election to the 2012 presidential election. We also did a Twitter project in class based on the election so I wanted to show how politics are heavily involved with it as well.

Looking at these two graphs people can easily compare the data between how many people were members of Twitter in 2008 compared to 2012 and how many people received information about politics from Twitter in 2008 and 2012. Any person who can look at this will see how much Twitter has grown. I think it is safe to say all social media companies like Facebook and even Blogspot have increased within the past couple of years. If a person were considering not joining Twitter because they think it is only a social outlet and not informational, they can look at my infograph and see how many people are using Twitter to gather information that is relevant to the every day news. This infograph is simple and easy to read and any person wanting to get a little background of how social media is increasing will be able to look at this and obtain a little information they might be looking for.

#3 Facebook for Adults

The audio piece I did is about my journey with Facebook as I ran for student class president in High School. Social media, as I said in other posts, is increasing very rapidly. Not only do young adults use social media pages like Facebook but many older adults are becoming more involved with it also.

By explaining how Facebook helped me with a class election, I think older adults can listen to it and understand how fast a message can travel through such a large media source. During the 2012, Obama and Romney had Facebook pages promoting their views which other people were allowed to "like" or "comment" on. Older people may not be as familiar with Facebook as younger adults but circulating the information about the election and candidates allowed for older individuals to look at a page and understand why posting something on Facebook is a lot more effective in getting a message across than listening to an annoying ad on television. It is important for everyone to become familiarized with social media as a whole because it allows for many issues to bring up good conversation with anyone who is interested in that topic from anywhere in the nation.

#2 Why We Vote

Why We Vote

“Why do you support the candidate you support?”

Students wait in line to vote at the Ohio Union.

“Because Obama is awesome, and Romney sucks.”

(Left)

Three members of the Obama campaign encourage people on High Street to vote.

“President Obama doubled funding for Pell Grants.  I’m going to school on a Pell Grant, and I think it’s important that everyone have the opportunity to get an education.”

(2^nd Photo Middle)

Sidewalk chalk urges students to vote early and Democratic on the Oval.

“I support Obama because Obama supports me as a woman, as a student, and as a member of the middle class.”

(2^nd Photo Right)

Campaign paraphernalia at the Obama-Biden tent, a permanent presence on the Oval for the majority of the semester this fall.

“I would say ultimately just equality.  I’m a social worker, so I tend to lean a direction.”

An Ohio voter poses with his "I heart voting" sticker in front of Mirror Lake Creamery.

“Because he has a big importance, and he really cares about what I care about, which is women’s rights and healthcare.  I’m really big on healthcare, because that’s what I’m going into.”

(Right)

Students in Thompson Library supporting their right to vote over lunch.

“He is one that I can get something out of.  I understand what he’s saying and where he’s going, and I believe that he will provide the best future for me.”

(6^th Photo Left)

A pamphlet endorsing President Obama lies abandoned on the Oval.

“I support President Obama because, overall, it seems like he’s fighting for the common man, and that ideology is very similar to what I stand for.”

A student staffs the Obama-Biden tent on the Oval.

“I believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to do what they want in their life, no matter what their background or ethnicity or gender, that they should just be equal and have a chance to succeed.”

A member of the Obama campaign works in the Obama campaign headquarters in South Campus Gateway.

“I believe that women are equal to men and should be treated that way…I think that all color should be equal, and I don’t think that it’s fair that a lot of the presidential goals of Mitt Romney kind of are geared away from that.  Yeah, I believe in equality, you know?  Love!”

(Left)

Two students and members of the Obama campaign advocate voting on the Oval.

“As a Democrat, the whole point is that we fight for people who don’t have a voice, so honestly that includes, in this election, women, who…should have just the same rights, just the same pay as any man, and I don’t think that Romney genuinely believes that.  So as a young woman and as a college student, I think that Obama best represents what I hope to be represented for in a politician.”

(10^th Photo Right)

A flyer advertises buses to early voting locations on Neil Avenue.

“I don’t think [Barack Obama] supports the values that were set forth for this nation, and I think Mitt Romney is better supporting of those values…I think he has a plan that will move us forward and get our nation in a spot where we need to be to succeed on a global level.”

A student shows off her Romney-Ryan t-shirt on her way into the Ohio Union.

Campaign posters advocate Obama and Romney in a window of The Residence on Tenth.

After making a few edits to this photo essay, I think this is a good example of how much college students really get involved in politics. Only having a couple of hours to go around Ohio State University, a few of my classmates and I found really good images, flyers, and people that were engaged in this past election.

I think this photo essay can give other students around any college campus ideas of how to get more involved when it comes to politics and petitioning in general. From looking at the photos and reading how educated some of the students answered our to question of "why do you support the candidate you do?" another student will be able to get more knowledge of what other people think and ways of expressing themselves and their views. Some students wear t-shirts or buttons or even put stickers in their windows and I think this is important to show young adults that is it important to expressive your views and they should not be afraid of doing so.

#1 I am proud to be a voter!

This infograph is mainly focused on getting the attention of young new voters. The 2012 election was my first presidential election I was able to vote in. I kept hearing "you're vote matters" or "every vote counts" so I wanted to know how many young people really did vote.

In this infograph young, new voters are able to see how many people around their ages are actually voting and how important their vote really is. They are able to get information in a simple form by just reading a few lines because college students and young adults tend to skim a lot through information but this is a way they can look at something and know the straight facts about a topic which is so important.

rough draft of final

This is a rough draft of my final project. I am showing how Twitter has changed from the 2008 election to the 2012 election. I am not completely done but I am going to make it more presentable with colors and finish the graphs. I thought this went along with our theme of the class well because we did a Twitter project about the election so I am showing how popular it has become in the last four years.