As the election season heats up, candidates are looking for more ways to get their messages to potential voters. Sending text messages to voters’ cell phones appears to be the medium of choice in getting to constituents. LSU Manship School of Mass Comm Professor Bob Mann says, don’t be surprised if these messages start burning through your phone battery.
“Sometimes mail doesn’t work, calls don’t work, because people won’t answer their phone call, they throw the mail away, but people still look at text messages, at least until this ruins text messages,” said Mann.
Politicians get phone number lists from third-party vendors. Mann says texting is a quick way to get a message in front of someone at a glance.
“Sometimes all they need is just one very simple message about a candidate or attacking the opponent. Texting has become an easy way to do that and a cheap way to do that,” said Mann.
Mann says if the messages become overwhelming, the technology is available in various smartphones to block and report the messages.
“There will still be ways around that, I’m sure, but I think it helps to at least report them and block those numbers, but it is nefarious and they will probably find a way to get around it,” said Mann.
