Abstract
The effects of new communication technologies on election campaigns, and the effectiveness of media-centered campaign strategies more broadly, remain ongoing subjects for debate in political science. This study provides some of the first empirical evidence about the potential impact of social media on the 2012 U.S. presidential elections, by testing the association between "candidate salience" and the candidates' level of engagement in online social media sphere. We define "candidate salience" as the extent to which candidates are discussed online by the public in an election campaign, and have selected the number of mentions presidential candidates receive on the social media site, Twitter, as means of quantifying their salience. This strategy allows us to examine whether social media, which is widely recognized as disruptive in the broader economic and social domains, has the potential to change the traditional dynamics of U.S. election campaigns. We find that while social media does substantially expand the possible modes and methods of election campaigning, high levels of social media activity on the part of presidential candidates have, as of yet, resulted in minimal effects on the amount of public attention they receive online.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 455-461 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Government Information Quarterly |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 Oct 1 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Sociology and Political Science
- Library and Information Sciences
- Law
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Which candidates do the public discuss online in an election campaign? The use of social media by 2012 presidential candidates and its impact on candidate salience. / Hong, Sounman; Nadler, Daniel.
In: Government Information Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 4, 01.10.2012, p. 455-461.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Which candidates do the public discuss online in an election campaign?
T2 - The use of social media by 2012 presidential candidates and its impact on candidate salience
AU - Hong, Sounman
AU - Nadler, Daniel
PY - 2012/10/1
Y1 - 2012/10/1
N2 - The effects of new communication technologies on election campaigns, and the effectiveness of media-centered campaign strategies more broadly, remain ongoing subjects for debate in political science. This study provides some of the first empirical evidence about the potential impact of social media on the 2012 U.S. presidential elections, by testing the association between "candidate salience" and the candidates' level of engagement in online social media sphere. We define "candidate salience" as the extent to which candidates are discussed online by the public in an election campaign, and have selected the number of mentions presidential candidates receive on the social media site, Twitter, as means of quantifying their salience. This strategy allows us to examine whether social media, which is widely recognized as disruptive in the broader economic and social domains, has the potential to change the traditional dynamics of U.S. election campaigns. We find that while social media does substantially expand the possible modes and methods of election campaigning, high levels of social media activity on the part of presidential candidates have, as of yet, resulted in minimal effects on the amount of public attention they receive online.
AB - The effects of new communication technologies on election campaigns, and the effectiveness of media-centered campaign strategies more broadly, remain ongoing subjects for debate in political science. This study provides some of the first empirical evidence about the potential impact of social media on the 2012 U.S. presidential elections, by testing the association between "candidate salience" and the candidates' level of engagement in online social media sphere. We define "candidate salience" as the extent to which candidates are discussed online by the public in an election campaign, and have selected the number of mentions presidential candidates receive on the social media site, Twitter, as means of quantifying their salience. This strategy allows us to examine whether social media, which is widely recognized as disruptive in the broader economic and social domains, has the potential to change the traditional dynamics of U.S. election campaigns. We find that while social media does substantially expand the possible modes and methods of election campaigning, high levels of social media activity on the part of presidential candidates have, as of yet, resulted in minimal effects on the amount of public attention they receive online.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84866283707&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.giq.2012.06.004
DO - 10.1016/j.giq.2012.06.004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84866283707
VL - 29
SP - 455
EP - 461
JO - Government Information Quarterly
JF - Government Information Quarterly
SN - 0740-624X
IS - 4
ER -