Lee Oi-soo, a popular novelist, poses with his wife in front of a polling station after casting a vote in Seoul, Wednesday. He posted the photo on his Twitter account to encourage his followers to do the same. |
By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff reporter
Twitter, one of the most popular social networking sites, wielded its mighty clout in the June 2 local elections, emerging as a major force behind the strong performance by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) as it helped boost the turnout of liberal-minded young voters.
Many celebrities and ordinary citizens posted thousands of messages on the latest online social networking tool, encouraging fellow users to exercise their right to vote.
Twitter, which combines the strengths of blogs and instant messaging services, enables users to send and receive short messages of up to 140 words on personal computers and mobile devices.
Experts say the voter turnout on Wednesday was higher than estimated because more voters in their 20s and 30s, who are mostly Twitter users through their smartphones, went to the polls, inspired by thousands of "go and vote" online postings.
Nearly 55 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot nationwide, the second highest turnout since the first local elections held in 1995 when the figure stood at 68.4 percent.
Rising TV star Shin Se-kyung and many other entertainers who have hundreds of thousands of followers posted photos of themselves casting a ballot and messages on Twitter, encouraging their followers to do the same.
Painters, novelists and other celebrities also jumped on the Twitter bandwagon to inspire users to go to the polls, with some even offering prizes for those who did so.
Lee Oi-soo, a popular novelist who has more than 167,000 followers, also twitted "I voted" at 11 am, Wednesday and posted a "certification photo" with his wife in front of a polling booth as proof.
Additionally, many ordinary citizens uploaded messages on Twitter, asking their friends and family members to exercise their right to vote.
"The higher-than-expected voter turnout reflects more young people going to the polls," said Hwang Young-min, coordinator at People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy. "Twitter and other mobile devices appear to have brought more young voters to the booths"
Hwang said about 400,000 Koreans, mostly those in 20s and 30s, use Twitter, adding that they encouraged one another on the election day. What happened on June 2 is similar to what happened in the 2002 Presidential election when the late former President Roh Moo-hyun unexpectedly defeated the then-GNP candidate Lee Hoi-chang on the back of a higher-than-expected turnout among young voters
"At that time, young adults used cell phone messages as a promotion medium. This time, they used Twitter," Hwang said.
It was a blessing for the liberal DP, they say, as its candidates received more votes than initially expected, capturing seven out of the 16 large municipal governorships. On the other hand, the conservative ruling Grand National Party (GNP) became a casualty of the latest election trend, with its contenders faring poorly across the nation, forcing its leaders to resign en masse Thursday.
DP candidates emerged as winners in Incheon, Gangwon and other traditionally conservative strongholds, thanks to higher voting rates among young adults.
In the U.S. Presidential election in November 2008, Twitter was also touted as a major factor behind Barack Obama's victory over conservative John McCain for the same reason.
트위터, 유권자 선거 참여에 큰 영향
인기 소셜 네트워킹 서비스 트위터가 6월 2일 실시된 지방선거에서 진보성향 젊은이들의 선거 참여를 독려해 민주당 선전에 기여했다.
일반 시민을 비롯한 배우 신세경, 소설가 이외수 등 유명인들은 트위터에 이른바 투표 "인증샷"을 올리며 지인과 팬들의 투표를 호소했다.
트위터는 140자 단문을 인터넷에 공유하는 서비스로, 참여연대 황영민 간사는 국내에 40만 여명의 사용자가 있으며 대부분이 20~30대라고 밝혔다.
그는 '트위터 및 휴대기술이 많은 젊은이들의 투표를 독려했다'며 트위터가 이번 선거에서 예상보다 높은 투표율에 기여를 했다고 분석했다.
이번 선거에서 민주당은 예상보다 높은 득표율을 기록하며 16개 광역지방자치단체장 자리 중 7 곳을 차지했다. 또 야당은 과거에 한나라당이 강세를 보였던 인천, 강원 등 지역에서 승리를 거뒀다.
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