Presentation for honors capstone and political science distinction thesis: Social Media & its Potential Effects on Civic Engagement

1. @KatieWalpole
#capstone2012
By Kathleen Walpole

2. Research Questions
1. What effect will social media truly have on civic
engagement as a result of its increased use
during political campaigns?
2. Will there be an increase in the number of
voters within Generation Y due to the rise of the
use of social media as a campaign strategy?
3. To what extent will the rise of social media have
an effect on other forms of civic engagement?
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3.  #Civic Engagement
 Relevant background information on civic
engagement.
 #History
 Brief overview of the use of the Internet in campaigns.
 #YouTube
 Background of YouTube & recommend strategic uses of
YouTube in campaigns
 #Facebook
 Overview of the emergence of Facebook & use in
campaigns
 #Twitter
Outline
 Overview of the emergence of Twitter & potential uses
in campaigns
 #Obama
 In-depth analysis into how the Barack Obama
Presidential Campaign capitalized on new media
 Highlighted material furthers discussion on potential
offline civic engagement activities as well as online
activities
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4.  #Case Study 1
 Comparison of social media use by Senator David
Valesky and Andrew Russo in 2010 NYS Senate
Campaign
 #Case Study 2
 Comparison of social media use by Dan Maffei and
Ann Marie Buerkle in 2010 25th Congressional Race
 #Interviews
 Fourteen undergraduate students were interviewed
on their opinion of social media, campaigns, and
their definitions of civic engagement
Outline
 #Conclusion
 Predictions about the 2012 presidential election
 Discussion into how this paper advanced the three
research questions
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5. 2008 Obama Campaign
"The 2008 presidential campaign was by far the most engaging
in modern history because there were so many ways for
voters, journalists, politicians, and politician organizations to
follow the action or join in.”
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6. Obama Website
Organization
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7. Offline Engagement
Opportunities
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8. 25th District
Congressional
Race
2010 Midterm Election between Dan Maffei and
Ann Marie Buerkle
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9. Twitter Comparison
Frequency Comparison
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Marc Augu
Jan. Feb. April May June July Sept. Oct. Nov.
h st
Dan Maffei 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 11 15
Buerkle 9 41 20 14 13 33 51 37 35 39 18
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10. Buerkle Hashtags
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11. Number of Likes
3500
Facebook
2864
3000
2500
2000
Dan Maffei
1500 Ann Marie Buerkle
1206
1000
500
0
Dan Maffei Ann Marie Buerkle
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12. Creative Elements
250
Facebook
200 196
150
Dan Maffei
103 Ann Marie Buerkle
100
50
6 11
0
# of Links Liked # Photo Albums
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13. Overview of
Student
Interviews
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14. Conclusion
 Potential for civic engagement effect to take many more years
as social media is constantly changing. Any additional features
and changes effect the potential for offline activities in positive
and negative ways
 The 2008 election voter turnout for Generation Y did use social
media and subsequently cast their vote in the election. The
2012 election will allow for further analysis into whether or not
the 2008 election was a one-time occurrence.
 The information from the presidential campaign of Barack
Obama and the two different case studies conducted
represent the possibility of social media being used as a viable
communication tool. However, it still does not hold the power
to consistently mobilize offline activity.
 Social media has the potential to replace traditional offline
civic activities with online engagement tools, such as Twitter
town halls. However, there still needs to be a correlation with
engaging on issues online and going to cast a vote in an
election.
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15. Questions & Comments
Further Contact Information:
 @KatieWalpole
 kathleenwalpole@gmail.com
#capstone2012