JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Believing Facebook and other social media sites were critical to Barack Obama's successful run for the White House four years ago, his opponents will employ their own new media strategies this year.
The First Coast Tea Party believes using social media allows them to tell the truth -- the whole truth -- and to have anyone who wants to do the telling.
"Our voice is not being heard, and this is an opportunity for people to be heard," said Billie Tucker, co-founder of the First Coast Tea Party.
The online and mobile media movement has spawned a new Jacksonville company -- Big Voices Media -- whose catch phrase is "handing the microphone back to the people."
Andy Sanfilippo, an investor in Big Voices Media, says it's about time for this change because traditional media sources don't give enough information.
And it's not just a political showcase for Tea Party candidates.
"Let's put it this way: We believe that most people in the United States are intelligent people. If they're given the right information, they can make the right choices," Sanfilippo said. "So no, it's really not a partisan thing."
The company's first project in conjunction with the tea party was in Iowa in the days before Tuesday's caucus.
"It was powerful," said Tucker, who is one of eight political activists from the Jacksonville area who spent eight days in Iowa. "We handed the microphone, stood back and let them talk. And people loved it."
Tucker calls this a great day for America because now the people get to present the news from wherever they are.
"We're the new media and excited about the opportunity to deliver the news to the public," Tucker said. "Everybody can be heard. Everybody."
One of the claims of Big Voices is that current mass media outlets lie, destroy and manipulate the truth in politics.
"If not all the facts are presented, decisions are being made without all the facts," Sanfilippo said. "So, in our sense, it's a lie until it's been proven a fact."
The First Coast Tea Party has not endorsed a candidate yet.
"We'll see what's going to happen in New Hampshire and South Carolina," Tucker said. "We do believe that if Michele (Bachmann) had not been there, and Newt (Gingrich) and (Rick) Perry hadn't been there, Rick Santorum would have taken their votes. So it could have been a completely different look."
Could the tea party back Mitt Romney?
"He hasn't spent time with us," Tucker said. "We keep reaching out, saying, 'Don't you want to talk with us?' And he's not giving us the time. And the tea party doesn't like that."