Listening to Conversations About Social Media While Waiting in Line to Vote

By Li Evans

I stood in line 30 minutes to vote this morning.  I've NEVER had to do that.  The line trailed out of the township building, turned down the sidewalk, then turned again and trailed into the parking lot back behind the township building.  I snapped the picture you see here, while standing in line waiting.  Then a poll worker came out and started to direct those people who's last names were A to G, my luck was good then!

They had made three separate lines for voters - A-G, H-R, S-Z, that seemed to ease up the lines a bit, but they still were out past the sidewalk and into the parking lot when I left after voting.

I live in one of those counties that is on the fringe of Philadelphia, traditionally these areas lean Republican.  I stood in line, and it could have just been my timing, but what I heard was amazing to me.  People actually talking about this candidate's website, or that candidate's video, and even a mention or two of MySpace pages.

The people in line weren't college age people either, we're talking 30 and above, and even 50 and above.  I had to rub my eyes to believe what I was seeing and hearing.  These people in line were talking about online social media sites, in a total offline environment and how those sites affected how they saw the candidates and the information they pulled from it.

If there's any proof to me that this election has put a spotlight on social media to the general public, standing in a voting line today was it!  Talk about word of mouth marketing at its finest!

Comments

[social media optrimizer]

It's amazing to know people get more aware through the internet. Some kind of a media shift.