Abstract

Social media has become an integral part of connecting people around the world. Similarly, the integration of politics and social media has created a unique digital landscape where politicians are able to interact with voters on a scale never seen before. This study attempts to bring significance to the optimization of existing political strategies through the use of social media platforms. Topics focused on include narrow-casting, government legislation, voter outreach, disinformation, and advertising to show the benefits of using social media over traditional media. Twitter is then chosen as the focus of social media platforms for its increased presence of political activity compared to other formats. A case study of former US President Donald Trump’s usage of Twitter is created because of the former president’s heightened usage of the social media platform. It is found that in his three distinct phases in life (citizen, candidate, and elected official), Trump employed different rhetorical approaches through the app to achieve certain political goals. Future of social media platforms as political outlets is also discussed.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 2022

Mentor

Anne M. Cizmar

Mentor Department Affiliation

Government

Access Options

Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Government

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