Filtering through a massive amount of political information on the Internet can be crushing. But what if apps in social media-centric elections could help voters make informed decisions?
Campaign apps
A small digital agency called CanDo recently produced Rand Paul’s official campaign app. The technology lets users take selfies with Paul, interact with friends, share ideas about campaign positions, donate money and even play a secret arcade game to destroy Jeb Bush and Donald Trump campaign logos.
Fast Company interviewed CanDo CEO, Rob Ratterman, who explained via email that “developing apps for candidates is different from developing an app for, say, a corporate client”. A presidential campaign app has the primary goal of advocacy, Ratterman argues. The cocktail of news dissemination, donations, multimedia and social media engagement must stimulate both supporters and “those who might not otherwise give your candidate a second glance.”
Politically-minded apps
But if Rand Paul’s app is mainly targeted towards voters, what’s more interesting is a new concept developed in Toronto that hopes to help “disinterested voters” or those just looking for a summary of the current, chaotic political scene.
“The amount of information is overbearing. There is so much out there. And it’s really hard to cut through the noise and get to the facts,” said Pollenize co-founder, Trevor Blades, Global News reports.
In the U.S., the Politifact app, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning website from the Tampa Bay Times, has a team full of fact checkers that investigate just about every public political statement out there.
Frontrunner is another app following the 2016 presidential election. Here, users can follow up-to-date polling results “with a single swipe.” You can also select which candidates to keep an eye on and which to ignore, according to the app’s description.
Finding a void and filling it
Now, there’s even emoji for Hillary Clinton‘s hair accessories to rally support for the Democratic presidential candidate. But what about a virtual one-stop shopping platform for voters to get informed and involved by discussing and sharing political ideas in a constructive way?
It will be interesting to see if these types of apps will be developed in the next couple of months to walk voters through candidates and their stances on issues like immigration, economy and the environment.
Have you ever come across political apps that could help American citizens make informed decisions? Share you experiences in the comment section below.
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Can Apps Help Voters In Presidential Election?
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