Hi and welcome to the inaugural episode of the new podcast “Cocktail Hour in 5” where I will give an overview of topical issues in just 5 minutes.
The Podcast
The first podcast will be discussing a topic that I have found fascinating to research. The podcast asks the question: has Donald Trump’s use of social media changed the way that it will be used in the future for political campaigning?
I found this a particularly interesting question to research, as the subject is so topical in the news of late. There are many claims that it was Trump’s unique social media style that set him apart as a political candidate and allowed him to win through authenticity and amateurism.
This podcast describes some of the ways that Trump used social media during his political campaign that set him apart from more traditional online campaigning. These include a seemingly un-professionalised and personal use of the medium, in contrast to other politicians who would have their social media written mostly by staffers and professionals. Trump also used his social media profiles to discredit other more traditional news outlets and build direct influence over his followers. Lastly, Trump utilised the data mining and targeted advertising features of social media to great success in securing a win.
The Research
This podcast has been backed by several resources, from scholarly research journals investigating a comparison of his social media techniques to those of his opponent Hilary Clinton, and some news articles which talk more in depth about his use of advertising and data mining. These articles provided factual evidence throughout the podcast to back up discussion points.
One of the interesting difficulties that I encountered when writing this podcast was the vast amount of information available on the topic of social media in the 2016 US election campaign. This made it difficult to narrow down what I wished to talk about. In the end I decided to read a wide range of sources available, and then identify the key area that I wished to discuss.
The Process
Being my first blogpost, I tried a few methods to devise my script. I first tried a few run throughs with only dot points and free discussion, but quickly found this resulted in rambling and slow speech. Not what I had in mind for an engaging podcast! So I bit the bullet and wrote my entire script out to read word for word. I found that this made it far easier to concentrate on my tone and technique.
Once I had my script style devised, I found it a relatively simple process to use my smart phone to record my podcast. Finding a quiet space to record it was a different matter! Luckily I was able to use the free editing software audacity to edit out the sound of the v8 commodore roaring past me…
The Outcome
I was somewhat worried about finding intro music for my podcast, but that also turned out to be a relatively simple process. I was able to search for creative commons music in Soundcloud and pick a tune that I liked with the right licencing.
Although I felt somewhat intimidated by this project, I have really enjoyed it, and I was glad that I did it. To me, the concept of doing a podcast seemed overwhelming, but it is actually quite simple when you go through the process. It also helps to remember that a good editing program can cover a multitude of sins!
I hope you enjoy the podcast. Please let me know what you think down below! I’d also love to hear if you have any other issues you’d like me to discuss.
References
Campaign Digital Marketing 2018, ‘How Social Media Can Enhance Political Campaigns’, Digital Marketing Institute, weblog post, 15 February, retrieved 30 January 2019, <https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/en-au/blog/15-02-2018-how-social-media-can-enhance-political-campaigns>.
Enli, G 2017 ‘Twitter as arena for the authentic outsider: exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election’, European Journal of Communication, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 50–61, doi: 10.1177/0267323116682802.
Hollinger, J 2017, ‘Trump, social media and the first Twitter-based Presidency’, Diggit Magazine, 11 September, retrieved 30 January 2019, <https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/Trump-Twitter-Based-Presidency>.
Music: Royalty Free Music: www.soundotcom.com