Social media's role in election campaigns

What role could social media play in influencing the outcome of the general election?

Stewart Kirkpatrick, head of digital for the Yes campaign in the Scottish independence referendum, told Today: "We had a unique challenge in that we had an incredibly hostile media working against us ...we had no choice but to campaign on social media".

"The trick is to understand that there isn't an online audience, there are multiple audiences. You have to be interesting, engaging, and relevant to the people you're trying to reach at the time they see your content".

Ingrid Lunden, international editor of the technology blog Techcrunch, said: "I think with Facebook getting it's oar in with voter registration I think it's really trying to create a position for itself as a player here, I think it's only going to grow".