As stated by Tim Highfield “whereas in 2004 the Howard Dean campaign for the Democratic nomination for that year’s US Presidential election was a novelty in some regards for its internet strategy […], politicians and candidates having a social media presence is now more expected and mundane” (2016, p.123). With this is mind, the following essay will aim to describe and explain Dr. Kellie Leitch’s use of social media between April 20th, 2017 and April 23rd, 2017—just a little over a month before the Conservative party’s leadership race’s elections (Leblanc, & Stone, 2017). It will focus mainly on her choice of communication channels—with an emphasis on Facebook— as well as the key messages Leitch used. Communications Channel and Types of Messages …show more content…
Her audience is reticent – or hostile— at the idea of more immigrants or refugees arriving in Canada (Leitch, 13 April 2017). As such, one of Kellie Leitch’s goals was undoubtedly to reach out to these Canadians through her social media. Leitch reinforces the idea that she wants to appeal to English Canadians by not posting any messages in French on either Facebook or Twitter in between April 20th and April 23rd. Moreover, “populist actors try to maintain a close relation to the people. They regard the people’s needs and demands as inviolable, and they place it above everything else in society” (Engesser et al., 2017, p.1112). Furthermore, “as self-perceived advocates and mouthpieces of the people [populists] require ‘direct, unmediated access to the people’s grievances” (Engesser et al., 2017, p.1113). By using Facebook, Leitch can monitor engagement ““through centralized metrics around likes, shares and comments” and “encourage interactions and responses”, giving her great access to her audience’s thoughts and concerns about her messages (Highfield, 2016, p.126). Comparatively, Twitter is considered to be a younger, more restrictive platform in terms of speech length, and may be less suited to effectively reflect Leitch’s brand (Insights West,
In this article Mary Kate Cary opens up with the supreme court decision to not restrict the use of corporate funds in political advertising so that she can make her point that big money ads are not the most effective way for candidates to reach American constituents. She argues that social media is a new way for politicians to connect with citizens. Her five claim are that Americans can now, choose the media they wish to consume, share the media they choose the share, like posts they agree with and dislike posts they do not agree with, connect with others on social media, and donate to candidate campaigns online. With these claims she comes to the conclusion that politicians want to go around mainstream media so that they can connect directly with the voters.
Shannon Vallor talks about the effects of the new social media like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to the attitudes of individuals online and offline. Vallor describes the importance of patience, honesty, and empathy. She explains that all these virtues are important in order to achieve a sense of friendship or kindness towards other people. She talks about how new social media restricts that ability and only offers a quick and easy way of contacting other individuals without really caring about the other persons feelings. The virtues of patience, honesty, and empathy are all important to Vallor and she explains how this is lost on new social media. That these virtues are more effective when shown in person, that these virtues are supposed
In Nicholas Carr’s article “How Social Media Is Ruining Politics”, Carr writes about the effects that social media has on politics. In his article, Carr focuses more on the negative effect that social media has when it comes to politics. Some points that he makes about social media include specific examples like the recent presidential campaigns, how other technological advances over the years have effected politics, and the effectiveness that social media has on politics
Litt, P. (2008). Trudeaumania: Participatory democracy in the mass-mediated nation. Canadian Historical Review. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.msvu.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2e7569a4-6d07-4605-ba6e-d62d4610b781%40sessionmgr198&vid=6&hid=103
Downey, Michael. “Canada’s ‘Genocide’: Thousands Taken from Their Homes Need Help.” Acting on Words: An Integrated Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook. Ed. David Brundage, Michael Lahey. Toronto: Pearson Canada Inc., 2012. 445-448. Print.
Since British Settlers took control of Canada from the French, the needs of the remaining French Canadians, or Quebecois, have consequently been overlooked. Several events in Canadian History have resulted in heated feelings between French and English Canadians. Although the majority of English Canadians have tried to reconcile with the French by making numerous attempts to mend the relationship, questions relating to the needs of French Canadians still exists today. Various key sources indefinitely establish that the that the needs of French Canadians were not met, which will be proven through an in depth analysis of Quebecois Nationalism, Heritage Problems in Quebec, as well as impending acts of terrorism in Quebec.
One of the properties that allow social media to be an attractive tool to use by politicians is the ability to attract a massive audience of users. The Pew Research Center suggests that there is a growing number of social media users. A whooping 73% of US adults use the internet (Social Networking Fact Sheet). These...
...to identity with at least one of the countries predominate languages, English or French, dictated the degree in which they could participate in Canadian life. According to the Commission, this participation was real under two conditions: “that both societies, the French-speaking as well as the English-speaking, accept[ed] newcomers much more rapidly than they have done in the past; and that the two societies willingly allow other groups to preserve and enrich, if they so desire, the cultural values they prize[d]” (RCBB Book 1 xxv). It creates an interesting take on the acceptance of those “othered” groups, as change was necessary not only on the part of the minorities but also from Canada’s French and English-speakers. The Commissions work remains focused on language and culture, more so than ethnicity amongst a bilingual, bicultural and “othered” Canadian society.
David, I enjoyed reading your discussion post this week and found it to have a lot of truth. It is hard these days to research information on anything but the internet. I realize that all of my books are online and I often go to various websites to research for discussion boards without much thought. I think we often can fall into a rut where we believe what we read because it is time consuming to do any more research and we can just collect the information already put together and move about our day. It isn’t the best thing to do but this is the age of social media and we must try to revert ourselves back a little bit and do what you mentioned which is to have face to face conversations. I read an article written by Maura Keller on Socialworktoday
In recent years, social media has changed the way individuals spend their time and money. Billions of people wake up each morning, and grab their device to see what they may have missed since they checked it last. More and more people are joining social media, because it is an easy way to stay connected. This also goes for presidential candidates who are trying to reach more voters. In 2008 this trend started with Facebook, with more than a hundred million active members and growing into the billions by the 2012 election stated by Carlisle & Patton (2013).
The main aim of this report is to analyze the impacts of changes in the media concerning the societal and individual view of politics and politicians. The report also describes significant milestones in mass media since the year 1960 and examines the impact of mass media on how people think politically. The report then considers the effect of technological advancements in mass media and the effect on the results of elections. The use of mass media has increased over the last fifty years in that it is a primary medium through which supporters of various campaigners share their ideas and views concerning politicians and different political parties. Through social media, behaviors and performance of several activists have brought
The researchers present findings that indicate that a politician’s popularity in the voting booth may be related to the frequency with which the candidate is talked about on social media. The researchers goes on to discuss how further research may conclude that social media has a bigger impact on voting outcomes than traditional forms of media, and how that could potentially shape the future of voting.
While the popularity of some sites have come and gone such as Myspace and Vine, sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram have maintained their following. Within past few years, social media has become a huge part in social and political activism. According to Conwell, “Facebook and Twitter are used the most for showing support of various movements, and Instagram a little bit too.” Recent topics of discussion and advocacy include the 2016 election, Black Lives Matter, the Aleppo bombings, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the 2017 Women’s March.
Social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Flicker, internet websites, and blogs are becoming mainstream attracting a younger more technology savvy voter. Many candidates in the last elections learned to use these mediums so not to overlook tech savvy voters and learned how to use these to their advantage. Candidates took to the internet to raise awareness, state views, and even successfully raised donations. Social media was able to provide instant feedback on the standing of a candidate often days or weeks sooner than a more traditional poll.
Orenstein, Peggy. “I Tweet, Therefore I Am.” What Matters In America. Third Edition.Gary Goshgarian and Kathryn Goodfellow. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012. 40-43. Print.