Can social media impact the 2016 presidential election?

Yesterday, Donald Trump reacted to President Barack Obama’s recent endorsement of Hillary Clinton the same way he’s reacted to approximately 70 percent of news this election cycle: He sent out a strongly-worded tweet.

Obama just endorsed Crooked Hillary. He wants four more years of Obama—but nobody else does!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2016

Hillary’s reaction was, shall we say, yuuuge.

Delete your account. https://t.co/Oa92sncRQY

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 9, 2016

But that wasn’t the end of this back-and-forth Twitter quarrel amongst the nation’s top presidential contenders.

How long did it take your staff of 823 people to think that up--and where are your 33,000 emails that you deleted? https://t.co/gECLNtQizQ

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2016

This presidential election, millions of Twitters users have a front-row seat to watch the drama unfold between Hillary and Trump. And it’s having a much bigger influence on the minds of voters than ever before (Hillary’s simple three-word tweet was shared by more than 400,000 people). That’s because social media’s influence in this presidential election is stronger than it’s ever been. More people than ever get their news from social networks like Facebook and Twitter. As a result, candidates have discovered the quickest way to make news is to put out a statement or comment (or jab) in a social media post.

“It’s really opened the floodgates of candidates being able to tap into this ecosystem of votes and news consumers who are getting information about these candidates 24.7,” said Patrick Ruffini, Republican political strategist and founder of Engage, a digital media firm. “This election cycle is the first I’ve seen where candidates realize social media is their direct pipeline into mainstream media coverage and to voters.”

In 2012, politicians used social media in a very different way. They favored short, calculated statements—maybe once a day—that were highly controlled and sanitized. They would retweet followers or thank supporters. But it was hardly the first place they went to espouse an opinion or issue a policy proposal.

Today, social media has evolved from an afterthought to a strategy. And it’s working. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, nearly two-thirds said social media is the most helpful means of learning new things about politics, according to a study released by the Pew Research Center. Overall, 44 percent of American adults said they had learned something new in the past week about the election from social media.

Whether the hype surrounding their tweets is negative or positive doesn’t really matter. The new role of social media in politics has ultimately helped Trump and Hillary become some of the most talked-about people on the planet. And whether you're a brand trying to get noticed or a candidate vying for the top spot as the President of the United States, creating buzz in the digital space can go a long way.