Social Media's Role in Elections

Catalog description

How will social media influence elections in the future? From community building to troll factories, from local organizing to international interference, we look at the role social media plays in the election of an American president. Does the good of such sites outweigh the bad? What role does capitalism play in helping these big tech companies get even bigger, unburdened by government oversight? Should they be regulated by the federal government or are they protected by the First Amendment and free speech? Are social media sites really just tech platforms giving everyone a voice or are they actual media companies peddling content? We will take an in depth look at how politicians, political organizations and governments use social media to target voters, persuade them to change their vote (or simply show up to vote), and the toll it's taking on the public discourse today. Students will learn how to track political organizations' spending, see how they target specific audiences, and how they masquerade political ads as news stories. They will learn how something that started as a place to share baby photos and cat memes is now one of the most important factors in achieving the American presidency today, and how this collision course of social media and politics will impact democratic society in the future. Offered as ENGL 221 and POSC 221 . Counts as a Communication Intensive course.