Citizen Crowds Can Make a Big Impact on Elections

Crowdsourcing is increasingly being used in many aspects of marketing and innovation practice. It allows businesses and governments to connect meaningfully with people and develop strong bonds of loyalty, yielding both insight and action. The same processes and technologies that help businesses can be implemented by the public sector to connect consumers with a brand and citizens with their governments. Crowdsourcing critical processes like urban planning, policy development, and budgeting can be made more accessible and transparent, offering new ways of practicing democracy. Social media and the influence of the crowd have made a big shift in power, particularly adopted by younger voters and hyper-engaged citizens who use social media to make a meaningful impact on elections. With the potential impact for businesses and governments enormous, it is just a matter of time before we start to see more of these ideas implemented in long-term public engagements.