2016 Presidential Race To Be A Social Media Hurricane

Next year's presidential race is expected to rely heavily on social media as the candidates try to drum up support and make their platform known via hashtags, tweets and viral videos.

Many attributed President Obama's overwhelming popularity among young people to his effective use of social media, and in 2016, the millennial vote will be a major determining factor.

Twitter

Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) is set to be the platform of choice for candidates who want their message to go viral. Senator Ted Cruz announced his presidential nomination via a 140 character tweet in leu of a formal, televised speech.

Though he later made an announcement speech, the tweet showed that Cruz plans to use social media to make an impact on tech-savvy voters.

YouTube

Hillary Clinton mastered the art of viral videos this week as she rolled out a her campaign video on YouTube to more than 1 million viewers.

Many saw her video, which features Americans celebrating milestones as a good way to make the public feel a part of the campaign.

The current Secretary of State paired the video with a tweet announcing her nomination and a Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) page for her supporters.

Social Media Backlash

One big gamble candidates are making in the social media space is the lack of control over how their information is received and shared. Hillary Clinton has already be chastised on Twitter for her campaign logo which features a capital 'H' with a red arrow pointing to the right.

Many joked that the symbol looked like a road sign and bared a striking similarity to a Hungarian Fascist party logo from World War II.

Clinton's negative attention is a stark reminder that with social media so accessible, every misstep can be critiqued by the masses.