Citizen Engagement- Mass Media and Politics

   "Fake news" is misinformation put out as true and accurate information. This is one of the biggest problems with social media and various other media forms today. People lose faith in the media, the government, and shy away from watching or engaging in it because they do not know what is real and what is fake, and many do not want to take the time to figure it out. As we are drawing near another election season, it is important for citizens to be able to identify what information is real and what information is fake. The million-dollar question is, how do we make that determination?   Well, if you ask  Yoo Kyung Chang, and the students of the Media & Social Change Lab (MASCLab), their game "LAMBOOOZLED" can help you learn just that. Chang together with her students, other teachers, and a few subject matter experts came together to create a game that would help educate citizens on "fake news" and how to identify it. Chang felt that the level of misin...

We all know that going as far back as the printing press, media in its various forms was designed to inform and influence us. This is especially true when it comes to politics and election season. Every time an election season rolls around be it a senate race, a governor race, or the presidential race, we see an abundance of television ads, flyers, build boards, street signs, radio commercials, and in recent years, social media posts related to the election. These advertisements are designed to persuade us to vote for a particular candidate or on take a stance on a particular issue. Does it work though? Can viewing a political advertisement, commercial, or social media post really impact the way you think about particular candidate or issue? Can it change your mind if you already have a stance? In one corner, we have the writer at CultureWorld.Org who say, yes, political ads work, otherwise it would make no sense to spend all that money on them. Makes sense, right?  Do Political At...

Since the early 2000s when social media first became popular, users have been taking to the various social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and most recently TikTok to share those thoughts, opinions, and the latest news and updates as it relates to politics, elections, and political movements. Politicians have also been known to hop on social media a time or two to advertise and campaign, to share a message with citizens and voters, engagement, and so much more.  In the top image above, you have former President Donald Trump, and in the bottom image, you have current Georgia Senator John Ossoff. Both men are American Politicians, and both were/are known for their use of social media, especially during election season. It has been said, that both men won their respective elections due to their presence on social media. See here ( How Twitter helped Trump win the U.S. Elections (phys.org) ) And ( Jon Ossoff Was the Congressional Candidate Social Media Built | W...

What are your thoughts on the intersection of social media, citizen engagement, and politics? I want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. Please take a few moments to complete my short survey below so that I can get a better idea of what you already know and what you would like to know more about!  https://pbxvwlwrwkx.typeform.com/to/qGZPLwug