Why being a ‘numbers guy’ on social media hasn’t worked in the NYC mayoral race

Once again we see that social media followers do not necessarily follow you in real life, writes Lucy Anna Gray

Andrew Yang was placed fourth, despite having the largest social media footprint (Getty)

Voting may be over in the New York City mayoral primary election, but the candidates are far from the finish line. For the first time, NYC will choose their new mayoral nominees using ranked-choice voting. As no candidate had a clear majority, it is projected that it could be weeks until we have a clear result.

That doesn’t mean the race hasn’t been dramatic since the polls closed. One of the Democratic frontrunners, arguably with the biggest national name recognition, was Andrew Yang, who has since conceded after early results showed him placed fourth.

One of the biggest hurdles in primary elections is often visibility. We’ve been all too familiar in the US with politicians using social media to hugely increase their presence (not to name names!) – but did it have any impact in this pivotal race?