Citizen Engagement- Mass Media and Politics

Last week we talked about the ways in which citizens can get involved with/participate in politics. One thing I noted was that just by doing basic online searches, I was coming up short-handed with results. Now it's your turn to share. Please take the short survey below and let me know how you participate in politics/elections. You can also comment below as well!    https://pbxvwlwrwkx.typeform.com/to/L5PWk8La

With the 2024 election fast approaching, many questions come to mind when thinking about when, where, and how to get involved. I did a few quick searches and to be honest, I was less than impressed with the results. In one search, I looked up "Where can citizens engage in politics?". I did find one article published by MasterClass that gives you 6 ways in which you can get involved in politics, however, it did not tell you where to go or really provide any details. Not to mention, the article was over a year old. (See here if interested:  How to Get Involved in Politics: 6 Methods of Political Engagement - 2023 - MasterClass ) The rest of what I found were mostly college textbook links and various academic or scholarly sources that would be great for someone looking to write a research paper or article, however, for the everyday average citizen, this was just not helpful.  So, I decided to change my search a bit. I then looked up "What ways can citizens participate i...

  Everywhere you right now, you see news stories, social media posts, protests, and so many other things relating to the latest happening in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The conflict began, as many do, as a fight over land and freedom. This conflict dates back more than a century and has been the root of at least seven major wars. The most recent conflict resulted from a group known as Hamas, which is an Islamic resistance movement, and their desire “to free Palestinian prisoners, stop Israeli aggression on al-Aqsa Mosque, and to break the siege on Gaza.” (The Washington Post, 2023) Hamas broke through Israeli border in a calculated attack on October 7th claiming the lives of more than 1000 people and taking hostage many more. In response, Israel has waged war.  The United States has been an ally of Israel for many years and has pledged its loyalty to Israel through this current conflict. Earlier this week, President Biden made a visit to I...

  GEN Z is the youngest generation who will be able to actively participate in the upcoming 2024 Presidential election. And, with this 2024 election fast approaching, candidates are campaigning and trying to garner votes from GEN Z all the way up. According to an article from Pew Research Center more than half of all voters in the recent 2020 election were age 50 and older. (See article here:  The 2020 electorate by party, race, age, education, religion: Key things to know | Pew Research Center )  However, another report released by Pew Research also stated that in the upcoming election GEN Z will have "roughly 24 million will have the opportunity to cast a ballot in November." (Pew Research) (See article here:  What We Know About Gen Z So Far | Pew Research Center ) The question is, how will these candidates appeal to this younger generation to get them to come out to polls and cast their votes. In the video above, GEN Z shares their thoughts on big ticket items as ...

  Artificial Intelligence or AI is the ability of a computer, machine, or software to perform a task that would normally be performed by a human being with human intelligence. As we all know, over the last few years, there have been quite a few advancements in development of AI programs and devices. Some examples include, Chat GPT, robots, self-driving cars, smart tv's and smart phones, social media, and personal assistant devices such as Siri and Alexa. With all of these advancements it seems AI is everywhere in everything we do, so who's to say it won't make its way into politics?  Many believe that as the use of social media within politics and elections will continue to grow, and that as this happens, it could lead to the use of AI in politic, especially in the upcoming 2024 election. In an interview with Forbes, Dr. Aubrey Jewett, associate professor and assistant school director within the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs at the University of Ce...