Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) understands that politics are important to many of the social media website’s users, which is why the website created a new ‘I’m a Voter’ feature. This new feature was unveiled in India just as voters were electing new prime minister Narenda Modi. Over 4 million Indian voters utilized the new voter button on Facebook.
Facebook launches voting badge feature
The voting button will soon appear during upcoming elections in Colombia and the European Union. It will also appear later in elections for Indonesia, South Korea, New Zealand, Brazil, Scotland, Sweden and America. After participating in the electoral process, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) users can click the ‘I’m a Voter’ button to let everyone in their friend network know they cast their vote. Although the feature allows the user to inform people that she or he voted, this feature won’t reveal how the vote was cast.
In a preview for worldwide roll-out, the company speculates that close to 400 million people will see the message in their news feeds this year. That is over 1.1 billion active users.
Facebook’s possible influence
The ‘I’m a Voter’ feature could create a positive influence in upcoming elections, especially if people see their friends voting. Two years ago, a study in an academic journal showed that 340,000 more citizens voted during the 2010 mid-term elections after seeing their friends vote.
A representative from the social media giant’s office in Washington, Andy Stone explained, “There is a real social multiplier effect. When people see on Facebook that their friends have voted, they themselves are motivated to vote.”
The potential impact in upcoming elections could prove to be substantial. Mark Zuckerberg’s social media app has only been around for a decade, but it has an outsize influence in technology, business and pop culture.
Another big change for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) includes a new ‘Ask’ button to inquire regarding relationship statuses. This new feature has been rolled out across the globe over the last few months.
