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PoliticsSocialMedia1.pdf

Week 4 -Final Discussion Week 4: first post due by Wednesday, July 15, second post due by Sunday, 19 -Quiz 2: due Sunday July 19 (uploaded on Sunday July 12) -Proposal for final assignment due on Friday, July 17 (adjusted this date so you get two extra Days) -Final assignment is due on Sunday July 26 but feel free to upload it earlier than that

Social media and politics

Social media and Politics Three main areas of focus on Part 1

How politicians and social movements use social media Part 2

Social media effects on political discourse The dark side of social media and misinformation

Use of social media by politicians and social movements

•Targeting and Micro-targeting of voters •Direct line with voters

•Voters engagement

•Quick rise of social and political movements

Does political advertising work “too well”?

Facebook targeting options

Facebook targeting options

Use of big data, targeting andmicro- targeting

•Millions of data points for eachindividuals •Know people in your target markets individually, personally

• Not just demographics, but psychological profiles ofeach voter

•You can run variations of different ads that target a specific individual • Vary the style and tone of message • Vary the issue you focus on • Vary the visual

•Candidates can talk with a set of individuals in one way and with another set in a completely different way

A direct line with voters •Social media allows politician to bypass journalistic gatekeeping

•Have a conversation with voters

•Can get media attention (positive or negative)

•Trump is the best at this game • Talks directly with his base in very direct language

•This can work well for politicians that are charismatic and/or come out as authentic (Obama and Trump) but not for those who have problems connecting with voters (Romney and Clinton)

Showing a personal side •Social media give voters a peek into politicians personal life

• Making food • Spending time with their families • Playing sports • Watching sports

•Politicians can show that they’re “authentic”, ”real” people

•Increase likeability and present themselves as less elitist

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Voters engagement and voters as content creators

•Talk with voters and respond to their concerns

•Behaviors: Convince them to contribute to campaign, volunteer and vote

•Citizens can be content creators • Hashtags • Memes • Viral videos with politicians

•”Grassroots” content creation can be very powerful because it’s not a top down message from the politician

Political memes

Why do memes go viral? •Humour

•Connection with events/news

•Make politicians look human and real

•Make politicians look like hero or crazyperson

•Opinion leaders share it first and then everyoneelse

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS CASE

STUDIES

Trump Campaign 2016 •Use of Facebook ads targeted towards different groups with different messages

•50,000 (!) variations of the same ad to micro-target specific individuals • Example: Ads with Clinton’s controversial remarks from the 90s used to discourage black voters from

going to the polls

•Worked closely with Facebook “embedded” employees that helped the campaign

•Involvement with Cambridge Analytica, accused of improperly obtained data on 50 million users

Ocasio Cortez Campaign •Ocasio Cortez defeated a 20 year incumbent, Josh Crowley, in the Democratic party •Authentic, not political speak

• Viral video where she says: “Awomanlikemeisn’t supposedto run for office, •Using words like “we”, “our,” “together,” “your,” and “us” with her hashtag-turned-meme, “#oneofus

•Social media metrics ◦ Twitter: Ocasio-Cortez: 379K fans, 4.3K posts; Crowley: 3.6K fans, 1.1K posts ◦ Facebook: Ocasio-Cortez: 88.5K fans; Crowley: 15K fans ◦ Instagram: Ocasio-Cortez: 127K followers; Crowley: 1.4K followers

•Ocasio-Cortez raised $400,000 with no corporate contributions, amplified by an evenlarger amount of free newscoverage

•She won 57% of the vote, far beyond what herteam ever imagined.

Ocasio Cortez campaign examples

Madison Cawthorn’s 2020 campaign

• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/us/politics/madison- cawthorn.html

• 24 year old who won a Republican primary in North Carolina • Won against Trump’s favorite candidate • Anti establishment message, with a focus on new generation

Republicans • Strategic use of Facebook and Twitter to reach younger voters

Political movements, citizens and social media

Can social media affect social change (beyond political candidates)?

“Slaktivism” • Using social media to share and like but not to meaningful engage in politics

Hashtag Activism • Engaging in politics in more meaningful ways through social media • Participating online AND volunteering, going to marches, campaigning for candidates • Use of hashtags to spread messages in a fast and effective way

Case study: The Parkland highschool students

•Students based movement to promote gun control policy

•Social media component • #marchforourlives

•Massive media coverage connected to this movement

•Protests and activism offline

•Gun control propositions passed in a few states

Can citizens and social movements set the agenda and affect change?

•Classic agenda setting • Mass Media Influence what citizens focus on

•Reverse agenda setting • Citizens and social movements influence what mass media focus on • Examples: Me too movement, Parkland High school students

Problems with hashtag activism •Classical social movements have hierarchy and LEADERS

•Social movements born on social media don’t have traditional structures

•Success in terms of AWARENESS and AGENDA SETTING BUT…

•Problems in terms of decision making: • What issues do we want to focus on? • How can we affect legislation? • How do we lobby politicians?