The world has changed over the last fifteen years. The ways in which we communicate with one another changed as well with what is called a smart phone. These smart phones make hard copies of news obsolete for some people. There are apps for everything whether that be an informative news app such as fox news or social media apps such as Twitter, Facebook , Snapchat , and Instagram. All of which are used in some way or form to INFORM or PROMOTE. We have seen this in our most recent presidential political campaign. WE receive information whether it be directly from the source or through secondary media sources. I can remember throughout the campaign a level of bias from the social media companies in my opinion. I am a republican and there were reports that came out that facebooks algorithms were the reason that only liberal based media was showing up on my feed. I am sure that democrats felt the same way due to the whole Russia Probe (No Collusion) but what was occurring was that Russian companies were buying advertisement space in favor of the republican candidate under their own will which is viewed as tampering with an election. So they were trying to get out more pro Trump media out to the public. In my opinion whether you support Trump or you do not support Trump a foreign country tampering with an American election is highly inappropriate and unacceptable. We have also seen the use of twitter explode by the POTUS. No other president in American history has ever used social media like our current commander in chief . There have been positives but there have also been negatives. I think it could be a very effective way to communicate with your citizens but there were definitely a bunch of occasions as I am sure we all know where way too much was said. The reason I believe it can be a very effective strategy whether it be in political campaigns or just a means of communication to the people you serve is because as the Cell Phones and Social Media article states ” Registered voters of both parties are equally likely to use their phones to keep up with election news, as 25% of Republicans and 29% of Democrats report doing so this campaign season.” Now, this information is from 2014 so with the publicity that our most recent election had you can imagine or assume those numbers would be higher due to the use of twitter and all other social media platforms.
Feb 14
Social Media and Campaigns, Friend or Foe?
We use our phones for everything nowadays. Whether it’s finding the latest fashion trend, getting the dish on our favorite (or maybe not-so-favorite) celebrities or even doing research for a school project, we use our phones for anything and everything. This handheld device carries so much information, it’s no reason why many Republicans and Democrats have even used it to help us keep up with the most recent political news events. However, is social media benefiting the political scene or is it causing more detriments?
During the 2014 midterm elections, it’s clear that social media has made a very big impact on the way we participate with politics. In the first graph of the article, Cell Phones, Social Media and Campaign 2014 by Aaron Smith, the amount of social media users in each age group and political party listed showed a dramatic increase from 2010 to 2014. Social media has become the most easiest way for politicians to interact with their supporters (and followers). No longer are regular people feeling like they belong on one side- they’re now feeling a part of something. Politicians can choose to include citizens in the know and make them feel like they really do matter. They are able to use ethos, pathos and logos (the different modes of persuasion) to their advantage.
David Iozzi and Lance Bennett state from their essay, Crossing the Campaign Divide: Dean Changes the Election Game, that “As interactive social networking technologies continue to emerge, campaigns must make strategic choices to either embrace or reject them”. We don’t see Trump talking on Instagram or Snapchat, just on Twitter. Same thing with Barack Obama- he rarely used Instagram, even though our first lady at that time did. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also uses Twitter more than she does other platforms, it’s where our younger generations are. Twitter seems more professional than Instagram and Snapchat in a way where you don’t have to post a picture for every statement you want to say. Twitter is less personal- one can just say whatever they want, and move on. At the end of the day, political campaigns are changing as social media becomes more and more popular- especially among the youth. The way we once viewed campaigns have now changed to a more technological state.
Feb 12
Media changing political campaigns
Melanie Beltran
MCS 244
February 6, 2019
On popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, people have used their voices to debate or challenge loved ones and strangers regarding political campaigns. With just a click of a button, one can access articles or research to prove their point on an issue or create a meme about a political issue. Once it’s uploaded, everyone you follow and don’t follow will access it. Opinions and beliefs are changed based on the argument presented and challenged. The negative side is that fake information has been spreading across the internet. The positive aspect is that there are people that know their history and background on politics and help those that are ignorant. In the article, “Cell Phones, Social Media and Campaign 2014,” it states, “The proportion of Americans who use their cell phones to track political news or campaign coverage has doubled compared with the most recent midterm election: 28% of registered voters have used their cell phone in this way during the 2014 campaign, up from 13% in 2010. Further, the number of Americans who follow candidates or other political figures on social media has also risen sharply: 16% of registered voters now do this, up from 6% in 2010.” In other words, the use of these platforms is so popular, that people tend to use them to stay in tune with politics. It has helped users keep track or follow their favorite and unfavorite political figures and political news. The reasoning as to why voters follow their political figures is because it helps them find political news, having a connection or feel connected to the candidates and seeking for reliable sites. This has been nothing but beneficial to users. In the article, “The role played by social media in political participation and electoral campaigns,” several cases have been examined on young people, women, and men in Europe on their participation for political campaigns. It discusses how much of an effective technology has had on politics in Europe. Overall, media has evolved over time in which connects people to political parties with just one touch on one’s device. “The evolution of media communication and its relation with politics is illustrated by the presentation of various studies on the media coverage of previous European elections and the factors influencing media attention and voter turnout are identified.” The importance of having media communications, people and politics is that people will be constantly involved in the world around them. The microblogging, the messaging and alerts are at the tips of their fingers. In the article, “Crossing the Campaign Divide: Dean Changes the Election Game,” it states, “If campaigns choose to embrace online SNTs (Social Networking Technologies), they risk transformation from traditional, hierarchical organizations into broader, decentralized networks that give supporters partial control over campaign messages. If campaigns reject online interactivity, they retain the controlled and hierarchical characteristics of traditional, war room campaigns. They maintain greater control over the campaign’s message, but restrict their fundraising potential as well as the potential size of their active support network.” There’s a sense of loss of control yet having control at the same time. Political candidates have campaigns that need fundraising on. If that stops, support is lacked and neglected. Having “…war room campaigns are hierarchical, top-down organizations that rely on controlled messages and a clear strategy. They attempt to retain rigid control of the communication environment by choosing a clear thematic emphasis and staying on message. Each message, so the logic goes, should be thoroughly analyzed and pre-tested using focus groups and polling in order to maximize the campaign’s vote share.” This is beneficial because there isn’t a worry about anything being fixed in terms of SNTs. In the article, “Pithy, Mean and Powerful: How Donald Trump Mastered Twitter for 2016, The New York Times, Michael Barbaro,” it states, “...as Mr. Trump enters an uncertain period in his campaign, even rival campaigns acknowledge that Twitter is providing a powerful bulwark against a slide in his poll numbers, by allowing millions of supporters to make his case for him and deflect the controversies he delights in touching off.” Through his use of social media on Twitter, he has used his platform to connect with his supporters in hopes that they’ll side with him and support his antics. Trump asked, “‘Would anybody vote for that?’ — and hundreds of thousands of strangers defend him, spread his message and engage in emotional debates with his critics, all the while ensuring he remains the subject of a constant conversation.” This only plays into the idea that social media has elevated his supporters into defending him against other critics, helping connect more with him and track down his plans as President. Ultimately, social media has changed the realm of politics in a tremendous way. Social media itself isn’t bad, it’s the way people use social media that’s controversial. The President knows how to connect to his audience and knows how to attack his nonsupporters with the ignorant things he says either on or off social media. People who know they have power and ability to reach others can either use it in a constructive way or a destructive. But that choice is up to the person, not the supporters. The supporters have to discern if whether or not, it’s worth following a “leader” like Trump or goes against him.
Feb 11
Social Media and Politics
Social media has entirely shifted the approach politicians employ when running a campaign for public office. In the past, the “war room” technique was the go-to method by which candidates and their team built a relationship with voters and won positive public opinion. In the “war room,” the candidate and their campaign staff would make decisions about how they wished for the public to perceive them, and then work as a team to successfully control and express this perception, with focus groups providing feedback to serve as a guide. In the essay “Crossing the Campaign Divide: Dean Changes the Election Game” by David Iozzi and Lance Bennett, the 2004 presidential campaign primaries for Howard Dean is examined to highlight how the shift away from this traditional model began. According to the authors, emerging social networking technologies (SNTs) gave voters greater access to campaign information, and the ability to organize privately with politically like-minded individuals. The essay states, “As the number of viewers and comments increased, the blog transformed from an online journal into a grassroots networking and organizing hub that facilitated two-way communication among supporters and between the supporters and the campaign.” This technique for campaigning in which there is interactivity between supporters and the campaign staff is known as the “networked campaign” model. However, this also presents a greater potential for negatively impacting the overall campaign, as these platforms give supporters a chance to influence or misrepresent the campaign’s message.
In his article “Cell Phones, Social Media, and Campaign 2014”, Aaron Smith analyzes survey data on the ways that cell phones contribute to how campaign news is received. According to the study, following political news via social media increases support for candidates, because it allows the voters to feel more connected to the candidates. Connection to candidates through social media is also beneficial because it has changed the way that the public views political news. In the past, many people didn’t think of political news as relevant to their own lives, but this attitude has shifted dramatically with the introduction of social media that is conducive to sharing political news. One of the downsides to the use of social media, however, has been the hive mind effect that has become pervasive during and even after campaigning. The sides of the political spectrum have polarized, and fights concerning candidates and political issues have become common parts of the social media experience on nearly every platform.
Feb 11
Social Media & Politics
Social media has completely changed the game for political campaigns today. According to Aaron Smiths article “Cell Phones, Social Media and Campaign 2014”, voters have been using their smartphones to keep up with the latest political news, Republicans and Democrats and similar rates. He also explains the Republicans seem to be the first to have a great desire to find out political news breaks. As this article was written in 2014, we can say that most individuals have now learned to their smart devices for all the latest breaks in politics, especially since the Trump election. In the article “The Role Played By Social Media In Political Participation And Electoral Campaign”, the author explains that social media has brought politicians and potential voter much closer together. Communication is instantaneous and politicians are able to get reactions, feedback, or even engage in debates (looking at you Trump). As the NYT article explains, Trump has learned to use Twitter to his advantage, and disadvantage at times. This social media app is being used as a tool to “promote, distant, settle and attack”. One positive is that costly campaigning and tradition methods of political agendas are immensely reduced, now that politicians have twitter. However, it should all be taken with a grain of salt in my opinion, as we have learned from “covefefe”. Too much power has been given to social media, and who knows, another one of Trump’s dumb tweets could even lead us into a nuclear war if he keeps this up.
Feb 11
How Far Media Has Effected Political Campaigns? (Revised) By Jaritza Flores-Garcia
The media industry had affected political campaigns that both cell phones and social media played a major role in political elections every year. For example, according to the Pew Research Center’s article entitled, Cell Phones, Social Media, and Campaign 2014, studies showed that 28% of voters used their cell phones to follow the election while 16% of them followed candidates on social media participated in the 2014 election.
Not only does social media played a big role in campaigns in the US, but it also played its role in campaigns in other countries in the world including the United Kingdom. In the official research service blog of the European Parliament, politicians used personal communication from social media to get people to vote for parties in the UK election.
The first political figure who started the usage of the internet for political campaigns was former candidate Howard Dean who used social media technology to earn more votes during the election. According to David Iozzi and Lance Bennet in the article, Crossing The Campaign Divide: Dean Changes The Election Game, they stated, “Social networking technologies (SNTs) differ from other internet-based media because
they allow users to contribute original content to websites and because they enable sustainable
self-organizing by bringing people together who are unlikely to have otherwise encountered one
another. They have the potential to transform conventional political practices, bringing about a
new type of campaign characterized by direct citizen involvement and bottom-up grassroots
organizing. As interactive social networking technologies continue to emerge, campaigns must
make strategic choices to either embrace or reject them.” This quote is very adequate that the Internet became a weapon for information so that people would understand and listen to the words from politicians.
Donald Trump became a factor of social media because of his involvement with Twitter that in the New York Times article, Pithy, Mean, and Powerful: How Donald Trump Mastered Twitter For 2016, he used Twitter to maintain his reputation as the current President of the United States of America but creating backlash to his opponents during the election.
I predict that social media became a powerful tool for political figures because of the words they used to make voices heard so they could make a statement about change and how it would affect lives in the real world today and in the future for years to come for the state of the government.
Works Cited
Smith, Aaron, Cell Phones, Social Media and Campaign 2014, Pew Research Center, 2014. http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/11/03/cell-phones-social-media-and-campaign-2014/
Tenhuenen, Susanna, Karvelyte, Vilma, The Role Played By Social Media in Political Participation and Electoral Campaigns, European Parliamentary Research Service Blog, 2015. https://epthinktank.eu/2014/02/12/the-role-played-by-social-media-in-political-participation-and-electoral-campaigns/
Iozzi, David, Bennett, Lance, Crossing The Campaign Divide: Dean Changes The Election Game, University of Washington, 2003. https://depts.washington.edu/ccce/assets/documents/iozzi_bennet_crossing.pdf
Barbaro, Michael, Pithy, Mean, and Powerful: How Donald Trump Mastered Twitter For 2016, The New York Times, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/us/politics/donald-trump-twitter-use-campaign-2016.html.
Feb 08
Assignment 2: Can blogs take over traditional news sources?
I believe blogs will not take over traditional news sources. Blogs are fun to read and are very important for people to discuss various topics but they do not provide the same factual knowledge as news sources do. On the other hand, they do provide freedom from the strict new sources that avoid articles that would hurt their investors or shareholders. According to the article, Why Bloggers Can’t Replace the Work of Professional Journalists by Tony Rogers, “the problem with having blogs replace newspapers is that most bloggers don’t produce news stories on their own”. Professional journalists dedicate years if not their entire lives reporting about a specific topic so they can be considered experts in that subject. One cannot deny the fact that a blogger can add an interesting outlook to a specific topic but it should not stand alone. Good blogs can supplement articles written in established news sources and I believe they are very important to provide different viewpoints to a single topic.
Blogging has become very popular within the recent years. It gave a new form of online expression to regular people but the problem now is that most popular blogs are not operated by a single regular person but by companies and multiple people. The article, The Rise of the Professional Blogger by Benjamin Carlson, states that “Of the top 50 blogs, 21 are owned by such familiar names as CNN, the New York Times, ABC, and AOL. And many blogs that began as solo operations are developing into full-fledged publications”. Many people probably saw blogs as a fun hobby but since it has gained a lot of popularity many people decided to make money off of it. This is why it is very hard for there to be singular person operating a blog because behind the most popular blogs are a group or dozens of people. This makes me wonder if blogging will lose its touch in the future. The chance is small though since people love blogs so that they can express different ideas and reach a lot of people without having to be professional journalists. The fact is that we still need journalists to research specific topics and deliver news from around the world and we still need blogs so that we are exposed to different opinions since blogs usually have more freedom than traditional news sources. It is good to have both the objectiveness of traditional new sources and the subjectiveness of bloggers so that we are able to have a proper discussion on different subjects.
Feb 07
Can blogs take over traditional news sources?
Blogs cannot take over traditional new sources because blogs are more into ideal and self perspective part as in the traditional news are factuals. In the article “Why Bloggers Can’t Replace the Work of Professional Journalists,” Tony Rogers states that “The problem with having blogs replace newspapers is that most bloggers don’t produce news stories on their own. Instead, they tend to comment on news stories already out there — stories produced by professional journalists.” He also states that there’s a contrast among opinions and realities. Numerous bloggers today are deliberating their viewpoint into something that should simply be proved to be true.
According to Benjamin Carlson of The Atlantic, blogs can be reliable but its not the same as traditional news source. A few online journals are claimed by real news sources, for example, CNN and The NYT times.Traditional news sources have writers that been concentrate a wide range of subjects. They have learning since they are the ones doing the real research and finding things to report. Not all blogs can be a respectable wellspring of news for individuals.Enormous media organizations like CNN and ABC will keep on controlling the best web journals since they need their organizations to be the most famous.This is on the grounds that they report their belief on the subject without appropriately providing their affirmation.
Blogs can’t supplant traditional news because “they deliver diverse substance”. Bloggers are somewhere comfortable trusting that will be news or stories to be published they can create a story after someone has already report it. Writers are going out and actually finding things to report and write about with accuracy of being there.They have more information since they are progressively acquainted with subjects .The activity of journalists is to report the news with genuine proof to back up their contention.
Feb 07
Blogging vs Traditional News
I agree with the articles that side more with bloggers not being able to replace the work of professional journalism. Blogs are based from people’s personal opinions that link back to an actual newspaper paper or article. For example, this blog post is an entire opinion about bloggers vs journalists from readings in articles. Blogs are very opinionated because most of the time, the come from the mind of one person with their own issues and subjective thoughts. Journalists give the average person enough story that is less subjective and more about the facts and the objective information. In the article “Why Bloggers Can’t Replace the Work of Professional Journalists”, it states that, “ Now, some bloggers are experts on their chosen topics as well. But much more are amateur observers who follow developments from afar. Can they write with the same kind of knowledge and expertise as a reporter whose job it is to cover that topic? Probably not.” The reason I agree with this is because currently, there are a lot of new bloggers everyday that surface, without a history of doing anything, just their thoughts that are mostly relatable to them. Reporters, especially in big companies are trained to put out content work. They can write with perfection because they know the subjects more than anyone else. The best blogs come from the professionals themselves. Something to think about is how much things are going to change. I feel like we are going to live in a where there will be so much blogs and less articles and people would have to starting following the professional reporters themselves. At this rate newspapers are being used less and less and people are relying on the internet, but the internet can have a bunch of fake news so it’s extra important to know who’s authentic. “ Meanwhile, newer or lesser-known bloggers aren’t getting the kind of links and attention they used to, which means that “good stuff” is no longer “bubbling to the top.” Her post prompted a couple of the medium’s most legendary, best-established hands to react…” although I’ve said reporters outweighs bloggers , social media blogs can be helpful to see if you can relate to others opinions in a area around you, and spark ideas that you probably didn’t think of.
Feb 07
Can blogs take over traditional news sources?
Blogs can definitely take over traditional news sources, if they already haven’t done it yet. At first people thought blogging was just a way for people to share their views on things like pop culture and current events. You weren’t considered reliable or nevertheless a journalist if you had a blog. In Tony Rogers Why Bloggers Can’t Replace the Work of Professional Journalists Search “…the point is that being a real reporter involves finding new information, not just commenting on information that’s already out there”. In other words bloggers only write subjectively and focus more on their own point of view as opposed to just providing information like traditional news. The reason this would prohibit the growth of blogs is because people want information and the ability to decide what to do with that information. Traditional news platforms provide people with the information they want without the forced opinions of any old online blogger who writes as a part-time hobby.
When Twitter came out, microblogging became a new thing and more people were aloud to share their thoughts and opinions without having to write essays. In the paper Why We Twitter: Understanding Microblogging Usage and Communities“Compared to regular blogging, microblogging fulfills a need for an even faster mode of communication. By encouraging shorter posts, it lowers users’ requirement of time and thought investment for content generation” . Society today has adapted from having to be home to watch the latest news, to not worrying about missing anything because they could access and catching up and current events on their phone and tablets. It was a lot easier and felt more relatable reading blogs about current events. Soon people started to give up newspapers just to go digital. Because of this news companies have adapted and included blogs in their websites and on social media, like Twitter. According to Benjamin Carlson The Rise of the Professional Blogger “Of the top 50 blogs, 21 are owned by such familiar names as CNN, the New York Times, ABC, and AOL.” to not only keep their audience, they are also able to reach to other people around the world.