Tweet, post or check this in. A growing number of voters are getting their political information through social media.

According to a survey by the ad agency Digitas, nearly half of social media users plan to use an online network to learn more about presidential candidates. About 82% of U.S. adults are on social media.

College student Jamison Perez said he is an avid Facebook user. He follows candidates like Mitt Romney to get information straight from him instead of from a news outlet.

"It's more direct, to the point,” said Perez. “It's not one person's interpretation. It's 'I'm a candidate running for such and such office and this is what I have to say.'"

Perez is the kind of user that candidates want, according to political commentator Kelly Sloan.

"It's a great medium for getting a message out and for reaching an audience that you might otherwise miss,” said Sloan. “It's also great for leveraging."

The Digitas survey says six out of ten social media users expect candidates to have some sort of social media presence.

That includes local politicians.

"You're seeing it now in state races,” said Sloan. “There's probably hardly a candidate out there now that doesn't have a Facebook page."

But he warned that social media is a double-edged sword.

“Really, it comes down to a disciplined message,” said Sloan. “You have to remember that anything that goes out there on the Internet is out there on the Internet, and it's nearly impossible if not impossible to get it back."

It is important to remember that the old ways are not dead, and will never be if college student Colton Vaughan sticks to his ways. He depends on his local party for information.

"That's kind of how I find out about mostly everything,” said Vaughan. “Other than that, I watch the news."

Of course, one of the biggest benefits is the cost: it's free.

In a time of record-high campaign fundraising, underdog candidates with less money will lean more and more on social networks.

In the race for the top social media spot, Facebook is still winning the day. A STRATA Marketing survey shows that 92% of political ad agencies will use Facebook, compared to 46% that use Twitter or 31% that use Linkedin and YouTube.