How Social Media Drives Politics

People have relied on many forms of media when it comes to politics. This year’s election was a step in a different direction. The path that this election was carving was one that was beginning to be heavily traveled. It was the road that many people gained their information about the election their reliance of social media. With the candidates of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party and Donald Trump for the Republican Party, many people were uncertain who they were going to vote for as their next Commander in Chief. Some of the people who were uncertain who would get their vote knew about the ethical problems that Hillary had and the inexperience in the realm of government for Trump.

The progression of technology has enhanced the availability to methods in which interaction among people and social media has been/is used to get messages across, obtain information, and maintain the ability to influence how a person is viewed by either a singular person or a group of individuals. The prevalence of social media in politics has broadened the accessibility and availability to politician’s ideals, campaigns, and standpoints. It also has allowed politicians to campaign more independently to create their own self-image. Broadcasting this information on social media comes with the potential to influence power relationships among politicians, political parties, or those merely interested in politics. Communicating to the public

The 2016 presidential election may happen to be one of the most memorable elections to have ever been. From the campaign speeches, to the Democratic and Republican National conventions, and even the presidential debates; Americans seemed to constantly be voicing their opinions on every aspect of the election, and who they believe is the more suitable candidate for president, especially on social media. The 2016 presidential election marks one of the more recent elections where we start to see social media’s impact on it. We see how presidential candidates use social media as a platform to voice about updates on their campaign as well as communicate with their supporters. With the continue rise in the number of social media users as well as politicians now using social media, how much has its impact had on elections and Americans outlook on the campaign.

More and more people are getting their news from social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Tumbler and many more, and candidates are using this to their advantage. This election is probably one of the first were candidates have actually used social media sites as their direct communication line to potential voters. Social media today had gone from gossip and family pictures to a location for political strategy. Thanks largely to trumps regular social media first declarations and its actually working particularly with the younger voters. A study released last year from the Pew Research Center that Marissa Lang cited showed that “Among 18- to 29-year-olds, nearly two-thirds said social media is the most helpful means of learning new things about politics.” (Lang, 2016). Even if the candidate isn’t the one posting the video or message in the end it will still end up on social media. For example, Trump had announced his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the united states in South Carolina not on social media however it found its way there and spread like wild fire. This sent those who were outraged to respond in disgust and those who encouraged it to share it so that their friends could see and so on and so on. Even if those who shared it did it to

Does Nicolas Carr, author of “How Social Media Is Ruining Politics” provide enough evidence that social media is ruining politics? The answer is a very obvious yes. Overtime, social media has slowly polarized the political perception of the American people. Social Networking is a new, popular medium that has changed the nature of political conversation. Therefore, it has become both a good thing and a bad thing. It has encouraged those who once did not partake in the political process to participate. Social networking is very useful to find out news and information ahead of the news media.. “It has become an easy way for political candidates to connect and communicate with the American people.” (Carr 1) While social media might provide the candidates with a form of convenience because it simplifies and speeds up the communication process, it also provides many ways for their campaigns to be easily and deliberately attacked. Unfortunately, what receives the most attention on social media is outrageous statements. Some candidates like Donald Trump know how to use this to their advantage. The danger in this is that candidates tend to use abrasive soundbites to grab the attention of the social media user. Unfortunately, the abrasive soundbites are often taken out the intended context. Other candidates like Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush did not come to this realization as quickly because they did not want to take the chance of hindering their image. They understood that a

In the article “Did Social Media Ruin Election 2016,” the author, Sam Sanders, makes many valid points about social media, one being that it is not being used for what it was created for. Today, especially these past few months during the controversial election, social media has been used as a place for users to argue with others that do not agree with them. Sanders goes on to make many other points about social media being used destructively, and I agree with the vast majority of them.

As the US election approaches, more and more people are paying attention to politics and social issues. Some Americans are using Facebook or Instagram to appeal to people to support one of the political parties or candidates. Not only Americans, but also people all around the

In the past ten years the way we as a people communicate has changed greatly. No longer is it uncommon for conversations to not be face to face and now more so than ever conversations take place through text. As with any change there will be and is push back to it. The conflict over the consequences of the social media dependent society have now intensified as a result of social media playing ever greater roles in how politics is seen and even conducted. This has been a major societal question since the presidential election of 2008 and the debate has been written about, discussed, and argued by thousands of different politicians,

By clicking a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” icon on Facebook or other media, sites can give politicians an instant read on people’s opinions. A tool commonly used is fact-checking in which citizens use the internet to find past speeches and other information that can prove a politician wrong. The internet has made the

    In today’s modern time, social media has a huge impact on political environment. How the World Changed Social Media claims, “ Such political activity as there is on social media is usually at a national level and is conducted mainly by supporters…” (Miller 142,143). Social media presents a national level bias. During the last ten years, politics has gained much traction on these sites.  For example, campaigns for national

In fact, the 2008 presidential election has even been coined as the “Facebook Election”. Although the concept of social media was still on the rise, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube were not completely unaware of their role/leverage in American electoral politics. In fact, during the presidential campaign, each site found their own way to encourage users to discuss the election or issues contained

One benefit of social media is that it gives presidential hopefuls unparalleled opportunities to connect with voters. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are widely

Does Nicolas Carr, author of “How Social Media Is Ruining Politics” provide enough evidence that social media is ruining politics? The answer is a very obvious yes. Over time, social media has slowly, but clearly polarized the political perception of the American people. It is a new, popular medium that has changed the nature of political conversation. Therefore, it has become both a good thing and a bad thing. It has been of great benefit in the political realm because it has encouraged those who once did not partake in the politics to participate.

The impact social media has had on American politics is undeniable. Because of social media it is now more difficult than ever to decipher between what is fact and what is fiction. This new form of political information sharing has left people more uncertain than ever before. Despite its downfalls, social media has had a massive impact on politics and it would be negligent to ignore it in its entirety, however social media should be used and consumed in moderation and in conjunction with other forms of

Social media has grown at phenomenal rates over the past decade, with its rise being easily visible in several fields such as publishing, business, and activism, among others. The rise of its use in the field of politics is well known by those who are on and off social media, as a result of increasing number of politicians using this global platform to their maximum advantage.