Social Media Politics

Social media and social networking services are integrated into the American political process and have profoundly influenced political communication and participation. Social media platforms have transformed the political landscape by revolutionizing information dissemination, citizen engagement, and public opinion formation and change. Politicians use social media to communicate directly with voters in an unmediated and unfiltered manner. Comparatively, voters use social media to follow the latest messaging from politicians accompanied by demonstrating their support for particular politicians.

This book is a comprehensive examination of the role of digital and social media in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Political discourse during the 2020 election revealed political disharmony and a deep political division among vast swaths of Americans that was powered, in part, by social media. This book reveals how digital and social media have reshaped power dynamics by altering the relationships among citizens, politicians, and traditional media outlets, the emergence of new influencers, and the impact of online activism on policy agendas.

This book, Social Media Politics, includes scholars with varied backgrounds and experience, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, from leading research institutions around the nation. Students, scholars, and practitioners will gain new knowledge to more clearly understand the role social media played in the 2020 presidential campaign.

Dan Schill is Professor in the School of Communication Studies and Affiliate Professor in Political Science at James Madison University, where he teaches courses in advocacy, political communication, research methods, and media and politics. His research focuses on communication, politics, media, and technology.

John Allen Hendricks is Chair of the Department of Mass Communication and Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, a member of the University of Texas System, where he teaches courses in communication theory, research methods, First Amendment law, and media and politics. He has authored/edited more than 12 books and has received book awards from the National Communication Association (NCA) and the Broadcast Education Association (BEA).