Media's Impact On The 2016 Election

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In a world where almost all information is at our fingertips, its the media that largely influences and impacts the political agenda even in countries that are less technologically as the United States. Media is used to update people on current events, raise awareness of issues that arise within a society, impacts the public view and way of thinking, and is a primary means in which public information is shared (and manipulated depending on the source). Due to the large involvement of the media in everyday life, when elections arise the media becomes the main sources pushing the limits in being impartial and objective. The role of the media is to education and inform the public and stand a neutral and objective platform that is suppose to be …show more content…

It was discovered the Donald Trumps use of social media saved around $380 million that would otherwise been used in buying ads in-turn the same information was given to the public free of charge through use of shares, likes, and tweets once posted. The impact social media had the the 2016 election was stronger then any past election and is stated to dramatically impact and shape campaigns in the coming years. The reason this impact was so substantial is because more and more people are beginning to receive their news from social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc) creating a round the clock access to voters and news consumers. This process creates what is called a ‘feedback loop’, candidates post on social media which then makes the news, and that news gets circulated receptively through social media. Practically sharing the same information in three different ways, over and over, reaching millions. The 2016 election was considered to be the first true and official social mediation election; once information is posted the voters and news consumers due the work of sharing and getting the message heard, regardless if the message is good or bad. Clearing the perspective a bit more, Facebook has close to 1.6 billion monthly active users, Twitter has around 385 million monthly active users, thats an increase on Facebook up to 60% and up from 185 million on Twitter from 2012. Election candidates use a free network now to reach over a billion people at any given moment. Social media is now considered a strategy, which is greatly due to Donald Trump’s use of social media showing other candidates that social media can be a direct line to their voters and particularly the younger voters. Two thirds of

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