As the heated debates on Obamacare and the government shutdown continue, Hillsdale College student Hank Prim looks at use of social media by Senator Ted Cruz and what it may mean for conservatives.

Anyone that logged into Facebook or Twitter or any social media outlet in twenty-four hours during and following Senator Ted Cruz’s speech last Wednesday quickly realized that Ted Cruz consumed their news feed. As some may have seen the annoying repetitiveness of #CruzKeepsCruzing and #MakeDCListen hashtags, I see this success as an enormous step forward for not only Ted Cruz, but also the Republican party in general in appealing to our younger generation.

Back in 2008, as many of us hate to admit, Barack Obama united the young masses through his exceptional use of social media, consequently contributing to his victory over John McCain. Never before in a national election had social media played such a prominent role in the success of a campaign. Keeping with his social media tactics again in 2012, he beat out the Republicans again.

Obama’s 2012 victory photo alone, for instance, received over 3 million likes on Facebook, making it the “most liked photo” in Facebook history. When compared to Romney, Obama had 21.9 million more Facebook followers. Social media is something that the Democrats got right–they understood the importance and usefulness that social media played to their audience. Republicans and Conservatives, however, tried to follow suit with saddening results: they chose to go “half-in” while never truly understanding the social media game, thus contributing to their own decline with our generation.

….Ted Cruz started a discussion with our generation. He made us question and think while providing us with the opportunity for new ideas and opinions. This simple yet critical action on the part of Cruz and his social media followers has forced the Republican party to the forefront of people’s minds – particularly that of our generation. On the flip-side, Ted Cruz has showed conservatives how we can maintain our traditional beliefs while applying them in the 21st century. He has demonstrated how successful a presence in the social media realm can be and conceivably has inspired others to follow his lead and hop on the social media bandwagon.Conservatives are finally getting it.

The true test, however, has yet to arrive. If conservatives want to make change in the White House in 2016 and across Congress in the years to come, they need to follow Ted Cruz’s lead and continue to appeal to America’s future on their home turf. It is with this modern philosophy that they can unite our generation and set America’s government back on the right track.