Hillary Clinton has been very effective at using social media (her digital director Katie Dowd even said she thought of it as a “production company”). Clinton has a strong presence on nearly every social media outlet; she uses Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Spotify. Clinton is arguably the most savvy candidate in terms of social media, but, as one Politico article points out, that’s because she has to be. One of the biggest criticisms of Clinton is her lack of authenticity and the fact that many people find it hard to relate with her, so for 2016 she has been using social media to fill the gap. She uses social media primarily to make herself “relatable” and to connect with young voters and Latino voters.
First and foremost, Clinton uses social media to present herself as a “regular” American woman. For example, her Instagram account says, “Doting grandmother, among other things,” and her Twitter account lists, “Wife, mom, grandma, women+kids advocate, FLOTUS, Senator, SecState, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, 2016 presidential candidate.” She also (as one Politico article points out) has been posting “nostalgic” photos of herself that make her more “relatable.”
Clinton has also been targeting young voters via social media. On Snapchat she used the slang “chilling” and on Twitter she posted, “How does your student loan debt make you feel? Tell us in 3 emojis or less.” To connect with young voters she has also been playing up her relationship with celebrities. However, the posts that connect her with celebrities still attempt to make her seem “relatable” by showing her doing “normal” things like taking selfies.
https://instagram.com/p/9RBFnlEPji/?taken-by=hillaryclinton
Finally, Clinton has been using social media to connect with Latino voters. Clinton does not speak Spanish, but Instagram and Twitter have enabled her to communicate in Spanish more easily.
https://instagram.com/p/9CiLZHkPnK/?taken-by=hillaryclinton
