Eden 1

Evelyn Eden
Professor Petrides
English 102
8/9/16
Working Title
Young people dont vote as much as others in presidential elections. The
choice about debating political issues depends on the level of interest of the
person. Matthew Barnidge, Ph.D Researcher, Posting news is relatively
uncommon among the average user, but it is very common among politically
involved users (Glynn, Huge, & Hoffman, 2012). The findings show that political
disagreement occurs on social media when individuals engage with social
opinion about news posted by users. News use on social media is related to
political engagement (Gil de Ziga et al., 2012; Valenzuela et al., 2012), and users
encounter disagreement through direct (Huckfeldt et al., 2004; Mutz, 2006) and
indirect (Schulz & Roessler, 2012) interaction with others about the news. Social
media political talk frequency and social network political monitoringindicators
of engagement with political informationwere the strongest predictors of
political disagreement on social media. Individuals who are engaged with such
content also report more political disagreement on social media.Poll info. There
are many types of social media Social media is beneficial for solving todays political
problems because it provides awareness to large numbers of people.

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Social networks can help groups organize themselves politically and personally.
According to Researchers Ayesha Karamat and Ayesha Farooq at Government College
University in Lahore, Pakistan, they state that [Malik] Simbas (2009) research related
to Obama's political movement acknowledged that Obama magnificently involved new
voters through utilizing social media and online networking that encouraged great
backing (Karamat and Farooq 386). Barack Obamas run for presidency was boosted
through building his social media presence. He is referred to as the First Social Media
President for his dedication to using social media to connect with his voters. On the
other hand, terrorists have used various websites to display their acts of violence on a
global scale. Andrea Chang, reporter for Los Angeles Times, writes As social media
has become a staple of everyday Western life, its widespread appeal has captured the
attention of terrorists who are increasingly exploiting the networks to disseminate
graphic videos, images and messages from around the world (Chang et al par. 2).
Terrorists are using social media by demonstrating their capabilities to gain a wider
group of supporters for their cause. They believe that their online presence will cause
disorder. A few years ago, former Journalist, James Foley, was beheaded by the
terrorist group Islamic State and a video of the violent act was soon published on
social media by the group. Chang continues, News of the beheading spread like
wildfire across social media, with users viewing the video and sharing the link on other
sites. "James Foley" almost immediately became a trending topic on Twitter (Chang et
al par. 8). Unfortunately, the terrorists got that the attention that they wanted with a

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popular trending topic on Twitter and multiple shares among news pages, families, and
friends etc.

(picture from
gawker.com)
In addition, how young people use social media to discuss their political beliefs
depends on their audience. Tanja Storsul, Professor at University of Oslo, states that
Facebook was frequently used for organizational political participation, reducing the
need for other means of communication and coordination. Facebook did not replace
physical meetings, but the meetings were planned and organized through Facebook
(Storsul 23). Storsul explains, They therefore managed their front stage by keeping
their profile uncontroversial, and they used groups with a more segregated audience for
political discussions (Storsul 25). Young adults benefit from organizing their groups with
Facebook because of its easy of access and wide appeal. People choose to discuss

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non political ideas on their profile while putting their political ideas in private groups.
Why is there a difference? Rebecca Ping Yu, Researcher at College of Communication
at National Chengchi University, discusses the reluctance of some young people about
sharing their political views on social media:
Impression management literature suggests that in order to achieve
desired outcomes, people modify their self-presentation and actions
depending on the social contexts (Goffman, 1959). Indeed, prior work has
consistently shown that offline political talk is often bounded within a more
closed and private context of intimate others because political expression
tends to open up risks of disrupting social relationships, and revealing
social identities (e.g., Conover et al., 2002 and Gerber et al., 2012) (Yu
414).
Yu finds that young people choose to talk about politics in private rather than on public
networks. Some youths are afraid that they might be negatively perceived by their peers
or family members. It might also strain relationships when their political ideologies differ
from each other.
In Summary, social media has created multiple ways for groups to organize
themselves even though extremists have taken advantage of this simple way to reach
many people regardless of their location. Young people might not be publically putting
their political beliefs out on social media, but at least they are conversing with their
friends and families. In the future, this might help aid more young people to cast their
votes more in elections.

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Although the age of social media has accelerated the spread of news not
nationally known to a greater audience, it has received criticism about the quality of
what is being spread to the public. Many hashtags have gain popularity on the heels of
videotaped violence on black people by some police officers (#BlackLivesMatter) and
revolutionary court rulings (#LoveWins). John Sutter, reporter at CNN, The shooting is
just the latest instance of social media being used to document a tragedy or a
news event even as it is unfolding. And the war in Syria is being documented in
large part by citizens and members of the opposition movement who risk their
lives to post YouTube videos and photos of the violence. (Sutter par. 10) False
info: Whats even more striking, though, is how initial false reports can be
circulated much more widely than later corrections. For example, the Snopes
page on the jetliner story has been shared only 735 times since it was revised to
classify the rumor false, a small fraction of the circulation of articles endorsing
the claim (Nyhan par. 7). Rebuttal: For the consumer, it provides information.
They can seek information on treatment. People whove been diagnosed with a
particular disease can seek comfort, and they can go to chat boards to see who is
saying what about a particular disease. People also publicize what has or has not
worked for them and they can inform others about things that have produced illeffects. They can also find support groups and so forth. (Rimal par. 8)
According to a study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research in July 2011,
40% of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies have heavy presence in social
media. (Rimal par. 13).

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One study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that, during the H1N1
pandemic in 2009, the Virginia (USA) Health Department tweeted where vaccine
was available, so people flocked to those sites. So thats an example of an effect
which has happened in real time. (Rimal par. 10)
WHO is among the public health organizations using social media to disseminate
health information and counter rumours (Jones par. 5).
WHO has a Facebook page, a Twitter feed and a section in YouTube, as do the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States of
America, several health ministries, universities that offer public health courses,
and many scientists and health writers (Jones par. 9)
The frequent, personal interactivity demonstrated by this behavior creates
an opportunity for candidates, nonprofits, and advocacy groups to engage people
and drive civic conversations (West par. 5).
Furthermore, social media is important to politicians. People are exposed
to more views than in the past, according to Mindy Finn. This enriches national
dialogues and allows people to get the kind of information that helps them
evaluate candidates and policy ideas (West par. 13). Social media offer ways to
re-connect citizens and leaders, and create more of a sense of public
responsiveness and accountability (West par. 6). Increasingly, he points out,
reporters are following Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and incorporating the
voices of ordinary people in news reporting. This enhances democratic

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conversation and gives citizens more of a voice in national debate (West par. 7).
Debates: The Internet will be a primary way many Americans interact with the
debate, so if no one is tweeting, Facebooking, or Googling about your candidate
in the hours and days after the debate, you failed to move the needle (Pfeiffer par.
10).
CON This shift in debate dynamics seems incredibly chaotic and messy and
seems like it treats the massively consequential decision about our next
commander-in-chief like the cat videos that sometimes dominate the Internet
(Pfeiffer par. 16).

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Works Cited
Jones, Allie. ISIS Beheads American Journalist James Foley in Video Message to U.S.
Gawker. Kinja KFT, 19 August 2014. Web. 10 August 2016.
Nyhan, Brendan. Why Rumors Outrace the Truth Online. New York Times. New York
Times, 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 8 August 2016.
Pfeiffer, Dan. How social media is revolutionizing debates. CNN. Turner Broadcasting
System, 15 September 2015. Web. 10 August 2016.
Rimal, Rajiv. Tapping into the social network: Can social media be harnessed for

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the good of public health? Rajiv Rimal spoke to Ben Jones about its
benefits, challenges and what lies ahead. Bulletin of the World Health
Organization 90:6 (2012) 401-476. Web. June 2012.
West, M Darrell. Op-Ed; Ten Ways Social Media Can Improve Campaign
Engagement and Reinvigorate American Democracy. Brookings. The
Brookings Institution, 28 June 2011. Web. 8 August 2016.