The Wall Street Journal highlights portions of our recent Emerging Media Research Council study, which examined the effect of social media on the Brown-Coakley Senate race in Massachusetts. The study’s main findings were:
- Brown received more than 10 times more Facebook fan page interactions and views of uploaded videos on YouTube than Coakley.
- While a larger percentage of Coakley’s Twitter followers actually live in Massachusetts (24 percent to 17 percent), Brown’s total Twitter following in both the state and outside is dramatically higher.
- Social media outreach has increased Brown’s name recognition among likely voters. Only 51 percent had heard of Brown in a Nov. 12 survey; his name recognition was up to 95 percent in a Jan. 14 survey.
- The candidates feature different communication methods in their home page designs. Brown prominently highlights social networking channels; a Twitter feed dominates his home page. Coakley emphasizes a blog on the home page, and gives social networks less prominent real estate.
Additional follow-up research by the Council will attempt to parse how much lift Brown gained from social media in his upset win in the election and what it means for the competitive Senate races in November.
Here are other outlets that picked up the research:
