The document summarizes a study examining different generations' views of candidates' use of Twitter during presidential campaigns. Focus groups separated by age range discussed their Twitter usage and opinions on candidates' tweets. Younger participants focused more on candidates' reputations, while older groups discussed policy issues. All agreed candidates need an active social media presence to win elections. Twitter was not a major source of political news for any group, but they saw it as important for reaching young voters.

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The Use of Twitter During a
Presidential Campaign by
Candidates
By
Beth Rosser
Dr. Holder
Senior Thesis
COM 495

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Table of Contents
Abstract …………………………………………………………… 3
Introduction ……………………………………………………... 3-4
Literature Review ………………………………………………. 4-6
Methods …………………………………………………………… 7
Findings ………………………………………………………… 7-12
Discussion ……………………………………………………… 12-17
Conclusion ………………………………………………………… 17
Bibliography ……………………………………………………18-19
Appendix I ………………………………………………………... 20
Appendix II ………………………………………………………21-22
Appendix III ……………………………………………………… 23

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Abstract:
This study is to examine the use of Twitter during the past and current presidential
campaigns and how the candidates use this type of social media to outreach to younger
generations. As well as observing the reactions and opinions of three different generations,
in order to decide if there is a correlation between age and views of political figures using
social media, Twitter will be the sole focus in this study. To conduct this survey and focus
groups participants were separated by groups categorized by generations; the participants
were selected through word-of-mouth by family and friends. Through this process about ten
to fourteen participants were selected to participate in this study. In conducting the study,
the focus was on how participants view social media, the amount of time they spend using
Twitter, if what they see on social media affects how they view candidates, if they see
Twitter as an accurate source of information for political information, and if they can guess
which political candidate posted each tweet. The findings were that participants are not
influenced on what they see candidates tweeting, but rather see it as a source of opinions on
their political views. Another finding was that people viewed all social media as a source of
opinions and you view postings with your own personal opinion. Also through data
collection it was seen that most people do not actively use Twitter, and little to none use it
as a source for political information by candidates.
Keywords: Political Campaign, Presidential Election, Twitter, Social Media, Candidate,
and generation
Introduction:

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Since the 2008 Presidential Election, due to President Obama’s active social media
presence, there has been a focus on candidates using social media in order to outreach to
voters, spread their platform and beliefs, and market their campaign. This study goes into
depth on how Presidential candidates are now beginning to use social media, specifically
Twitter, and whether people are influenced by what they are seeing these candidates post on
social media. In this study participants are range from the age groups eighteen through
twenty-two, twenty-five through thirty-two, and fifty through sixty. This is so that we can
see the different views of each generation and how they view candidates who are active on
Twitter.
The three questions that this study will analyze and answer are: how do different
generations view candidates’ use of Twitter, do people see Twitter as a source of political
news, and are people influenced by candidates’ tweets. Through these questions you will
have a better understanding of how presidential candidates should or should not be actively
taking advantage of social media sites, such as Twitter.
Literature Review:
Twitter is Now Used in Political Campaigns
The use of Twitter in political campaigns is a common theme seen all majority of the
sources found. In the book, Politics and the Twitter Revolution: How Tweets Influence the
Relationship between Political Leaders and the Public it states that, “political leaders use
tweets primarily to broadcast information about their policies and their personality.
Interacting with followers is a secondary priority,” (Parmlee & Bichard, 2012). The source
Twitter Use by Presidential Primary Candidates During the 2012 Campaign, says that

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“Twitter brings with it new possibilities for candidate-voter interaction as the “@username”
function allows candidates to reply directly to other users and promote dialogue. Managing
a Twitter audience, therefore, requires constant activity to respond to, monitor, and
understand audience interests (Marwick & boyd, 2011),” (Conway, Kenski & Wang, 2015).
While the study, Tweeting During Presidential Debates: Effect on Candidate Evaluations
and Debate Attitudes states that, “During the 2012 election, political candidates, the news
media, and the public increasingly took to Twitter to discuss the campaign. Campaign
discussion on Twitter took a variety of forms, from candidates advocating for their own
election or refuting opponent’s attacks, to members of the news media reporting campaign
activities or engaging with their audience, to individual citizens praising lamenting,
mocking, or satirizing various political candidates or occurrences,” (Houston, Hawthorne,
Spialek, Greenwood & McKinney, 2013). “The Pew Internet and American Life project
reports that, “a record-breaking 46% of Americans used the Internet, email or cell phone
text messaging to get news about the campaign, share their views and mobilize others.” That
same study indicated that 35% of Americans watched political video online and 10% used
social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook to learn more about the race. These and
other numbers reflect substantial increases in the number of Americans using social media
as part of the election process in 2008 as compared to 2004,” (Metzgar & Maruggi, 2009).
The 2008 and 2012 Presidential Election
In the study found entitled Twitter Use by Presidential Primary Candidates During
the 2012 Campaign, Conway, Kenski and Wang start their writing with, “Technological
advances in communication accompany every campaign cycle. In an attempt to reach

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citizens and media outlets effectively, candidates make use of technologies in innovative
ways. As politicians try to replicate the touted “Obama model” (Towner & Dulio, 2012),
placing their stock in the land of Web 2.0, it is important to evaluate the role of online
media in the so-called “presidential package.” Analyzing the use of social networking sites
(SNSs), especially Twitter, is therefore key to understanding the political terrain of the 2012
presidential campaign.” (Conway, Kenski & Wang, 2015). Also, Conway, Kenski & Wang
state that, “After the 2008 election, scholars predicted increased and targeted web use by
political campaigns at the federal and local level (Towner & Dulio, 2012). This included use
of SNSs, which allow candidates to build profiles and showcase connections within a
delimited system (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Among these sites, Twitter is unique due to its
confinement to 140-character messages and the lack of restrictions on viewing messages in
the form of account-owner permissions,” (Conway, Kenski & Wang, 2015). This is very
similar to what was stated in Election Forecasts With Twitter: How 140 Character Reflect
the Political Landscape, “The successful use of social media in the U.S. presidential
campaign of Barack Obama has established Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other social
media as integral parts of the political campaign toolbox. Some analysts attribute Obama’s
victory to a large extent to his online strategy,” (Tumasjan, Sprenger, Sandner, & Welpe,
2011). Another source even states that, “The next presidential election in 2008 was
characterized as the “Facebook” election, as the presidential candidates, particularly Barack
Obama, frequently utilized Facebook to engage and connect with supporters and to
coordinate campaign information and activities…. During the 2012 campaign, Twitter was
used by political campaigns to disseminate information, organize events, and gauge public
sentiment; by the news media to inform reporting and promote news content; and by the

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public to express political opinions and virtually watch political events with others,”
(Houston, Hawthorne, Spialek, Greenwood, & McKinney, 2013).
Methods:
There was a six question survey that was sent out to possible participants, which was
then completed before they attended their assigned focus group. This survey measured: age,
gender, political affiliation, twitter usage, and political awareness. A copy of the survey is
in Appendix II. Each question was asked in order to have a better idea of what to expect in
each focus group, such as if there will be more Republicans than Democrats in that
particular group.
Each focus group was sorted by age, so that each participant felt comfortable saying
their opinion and to have a clear understand of what each specific generation’s views are.
There was an outline for each focus group that included questions such as: do you think that
Twitter is a good way for political candidates to interact with the public and to spread their
platform and beliefs, do you follow any political figures on Twitter, do you find yourself
influenced just because a political figure tweeted something, and do you think that political
figures should be so active on social media? Also, in each focus group the participants were
given a list of tweets that had been posted by either: President Obama, Donald Trump,
Hillary Clinton, or Jeb Bush. The full outline of the focus group is in Appendix I, with both
the questions and tweets that were presented to the focus groups.
Findings:
Through the results from both the survey and the focus groups it was observed that
there was not an active participation on Twitter, for any generation. A copy of the survey

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can be found in Appendix II. The survey found that 53.6% of people did have a Twitter
account, while 46.4% did not have an account. Yet, the majority was 33.3% of participants
said they never checked their account and 16.7% said they checked their Twitter multiple
times a day. Participants were mostly male, making up 57.1% and females made up 42.9%
of the study.
Figure 1: Survey question, how often do you use Twitter?
Majority of the participants affiliated with the Republican party (46.4%), Democratic
party (25%), Unaffiliated (17.9%), Independent (10.7%), and Libertarian (0%). The ratings
for the last question was that four people listed one, two people listed two, six people listed
three, six people listed five, nine people listed eight, and one person listed ten.

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Figure 2: Question 10 on the survey. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself on
being up-to-date on current political issues?
For each focus group there was a set outline of questions that were going to be
covered during that time. These questions can be found in Appendix I and additional
questions were asked depending on what the participants in the focus group were discussing.
It was clearly seen in all focus groups that participants felt that if a candidate was not active
on Twitter they were not reaching their full potential and would most likely not win that
election. There were several themes in the focus groups such as: candidates need to be
active on social media in order to win, live tweeting, social media is all opinions, reputation
of candidate, and guesses of tweets.
Candidates Need to be Active on Social Media in Order to Win
All focus group participants were in agreement that if a candidate wants to win, they
should be very active on social media. Not only does social media give you a way to

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interact with the younger generations, but is a modern way to spread your platform to
others. Another thing that was stated about candidates being active on social media was that
is the new way to find information and that soon it will be the only way younger generations
get their political information. Also, younger generations are not active in politics so the
older generation said that they feel it is the only way you can out reach to them and get them
to actually vote.
Live Tweeting
No one participated in live tweeting during presidential debates, but the younger
generations knew about it. While, the older generations were not really sure how it worked
and what it was about. Also, most participants did not watch the debate live instead they
watched the clips on the news and on Facebook. Another finding that was interesting is that
the twenty-five through thirty-two age group viewed comedy shows, like Saturday Night
Live, an accurate depiction of political topics.
Social Media is all Opinions
Every generation knew that what they were seeing on social media was all the
candidate’s opinion. It was stated in all three focus groups that the candidate had probably
said the same thing or something similar that they have heard on television. The older
generation seemed to less influenced by the opinions, this was seen through the debates that
took place in the focus group. That particular focus group, with the fifty through sixty age
group, had the most debating due to the participants’ set opinions. Also, it was stated in the

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eighteen through twenty-two focus group that most people their age already have an idea of
each candidate based on what they hear their family and friends saying about that candidate.
Reputation of Candidate
For most tweets the participants were able to correctly guess the tweet, not by their
knowledge on the issue, but instead they knew that candidate had a reputation for saying
things similar to that tweet. A main example of this was with Donald Trump if the tweet
was critiquing someone, they automatically assumed that it was a higher chance that he
tweeted that. So, when they saw the tweet, “Political strategist Stuart Stevens, who led
Romney, down the tube in what should have been an easy victory, has terrible political
instincts” everyone was in agreement that it was most likely Trump who had posted that.
Another example was the tweet by Hillary Clinton that stated, “It’s outrageous that, in 2015,
you can still be fired for being gay… this kind of discrimination goes against everything we
stand for” most participants knew that Hillary Clinton was an activist for minority groups’
rights.
Guesses of Tweets
In each focus group I had a list of seven tweets, that either President Obama, Hillary
Clinton, Jeb Bush, or Donald Trump had tweeted. Each participant was given a notecard
and was instructed to match the candidate to the tweet they thought that person had tweeted.
In the 24-35 age group, it was interesting that they wanted to discuss the tweets before I told
them who made the statement. They wanted to look at all sides of the tweet and go through
each possibility and state yes or no on if they could see each candidate posting the tweet in

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question. A perfect example of this was with the President Obama Tweet, “Expressions of
sympathy aren’t enough. It’s about time we do something about it.” They knew that he had
stated things very similar, but they also could see Hillary Clinton saying something similar.
Discussion:
Research question number one: how do different generations view candidates’ use of
Twitter?
The eighteen through twenty-two age group was mainly focused on their opinions of
candidates, rather then what the post was actually referring to. Participants wanted to
discuss more the reputation of that candidate rather than the candidates’ views on the topic.
When showed the posts from Twitter there was a mix of interpretations from participants.
None of the participants expected anything less from candidate Donald Trump, when it
came to slandering someone on social media. While, the following Hillary Clinton tweet,
“It’s outrageous that, in 2015, you can still be fired for being gay…. this kind of
discrimination goes against everything we stand for,” was viewed by some participants as a
good way to gain more followers. This is because they felt that this tweet was influential
and controversial enough to be re-tweeted therefore creating more social interaction with
voters. Overall participants were in agreement that political candidates used all social
media in order to outreach to the younger generations. With this being said participants
thought that candidates should be active on Twitter for the simple fact with the use of one
tweet their platform can be seen, by not only their current follower, but a broad range of
demographics. They understood that people can re-tweet posts to show their followers or
even screenshot that candidate’s post then circulate it through a variety of sources.

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The twenty-five through thirty-two age group was focused on both the candidate and
the topic of the tweet. This age group is what most people would consider the targeted
group of voters that candidates would be outreaching to. Yet, most participants did not
consider them self up-to-date on political issues. (It was left open to interpretation what
each participant considered as up-to-date). Majority of them said they never paid attention
to elections until about two to three months before voting. When ask the cause of this they
said that candidates post to much useless information on their social media sites and focus
more on slandering other candidates. The main use of Twitter in this group, was more to
follow news sources and for entertainment purposes rather then to see what candidates are
posting. This group was agreement though that candidates need to stay active on Twitter,
because of the simple fact it is an easy way to circulate information to a wide range of
voters.
The fifty through sixty age group was not interested in what was said on Twitter,
rather they cared more about the issues that were being discussed during presidential
campaigns. Participants wanted to discuss controversial topics such as: gun control,
political campaign funding, gay rights, and teachers’ rights. When going through each
tweet it was evident that they wanted to talk about the issue at hand, that each particular
tweet focused on, rather then discuss the candidate they felt was the most likely to have
posted that tweet. It is also interesting to note that no participant considered themselves
“active” on Twitter. (It was left open to interpretation what each participant considered as
active). Yet, everyone was in agreement that presidential candidates need to be active in
order to have a chance at winning the election. Participants were then asked what they felt a
candidate should be doing in order to be perceived as active on Twitter. They gave the

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following examples: interacting with followers, addressing current topics in traditional
media, spreading their opinions, slandering other candidates, posting pictures, and posting
links to other information about themselves. It was also stated that Twitter is a more up-to-
date way to present yourself to voters. With the younger generations expecting to receive
information through a faster route, participants perceived that Twitter would be a good
source for candidates to interact and gain younger voters.
Research question number two: do people see Twitter as a source of political news?
The eighteen through twenty-two age group had the most understanding of what
Twitter was, all of the capabilities Twitter possessed, and how to use Twitter. Majority of
the participants had an account, yet when asked if they considered themselves “active” on
Twitter only three people did. (It was left open to interpretation what each participant
considered as active). Also, none of the current participants followed any political figures
or candidates. Rather they followed traditional news sources, examples of this are CNN and
Fox News, in order to gain information about presidential elections. However, they did
think that there were some people that actually used it was their main source for receiving
political updates about the election.
The twenty-five through thirty-two age group had some understanding of Twitter, yet
they did not know about everything Twitter had to offer. None of the participants followed
any political figures or candidates, but they did follow some traditional media accounts.
Examples that were given were Fox News and CNN. When asked why they followed
traditional media accounts on Twitter, they said that it was a faster way to get the most
current news stories and they could focus on the topics they were interested in. So, they

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could find out everything they wanted to know without having to sit through a full news
cast. This just goes back to the statement earlier that today’s society expects information to
be in a fast pace manner, in order to keep up with people’s busy lives. Overall, participants
did see it as a source of political news, they just did not seek that information from
candidates but rather traditional media accounts.
The fifty through sixty age group had little to no understanding of Twitter and only
one participant said they used their Twitter account. The other participants only had an
account due to work related reasons. They felt that from what they knew about Twitter that
it was all a source of opinions, rather than factual information. One interesting statement
from a participant was that you must take things with a grain of salt when looking at social
media in general. That you can not automatically assume something just based off of one
post you see anyone post, regardless if that person is your friend or a political figure or
candidate. Overall, participants did not view it as a source for political information for their
generation, but knew that younger generations did use it as a source to learn about political
issues and campaigns.
Research question number three: are people influenced by candidates’ tweets?
The eighteen through twenty-two age group were probably the most influenced by
what they viewed on Twitter. However, they viewed Twitter in more of an entertainment
way, so with some tweets they saw more humor from it then it being a serious post. With
being said they viewed candidates’ tweets in a range of way, depending on what the tweet
said and what candidate it was. So, an example that of this that was mentioned was Donald

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Trump’s posts, because of some of his tweets are so straightforward or derogatory towards
other people there can be a lot of different ways people can view his opinions.
The twenty-five through thirty age group participants were not necessarily influenced
by what a candidate was tweeting. Yet, they were slightly influenced with all of the other
replies and debates that can occur over a tweet. Participants said that they would hear other
people’s views on the topic and sometimes be swayed into thinking of something from a
different stand point. Since, none of the participants followed a political candidate directly
they were not influenced by their posts in their everyday life. Even when viewing the
tweets that were shown in the focus group they already had a perceived opinion of each
candidate, from their personal experiences and beliefs. Due to this perceived opinion of
candidates so participants were not influenced, because they already had a general idea of
what type of tweet a candidate would post. An example that was given was Donald Trump
and how he already talks negatively about people in traditional media, so would his Twitter
account be any different.
The fifty to sixty age group were the least influenced by the tweets that were shown
in the focus group. This was expected, because of the generalization that older people are
set in their ways. However, participants brought up valid points to why they did not change
their opinions based off of what was posted. One example that was discussed was about the
following tweet that Donald Trump posted, “Political strategist Stuart Steven, who led
Romney down the tubes in what should have been an easy victory, has terrible political
instincts.” Participants did not think any differently about the person being negatively
represented, but they also said they would not expect anything else from Donald Trump.

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So, in conclusion all three generations understood that when you go onto any social
media site you already have an idea of what you are going to see candidates post and you
already have your own personal opinion of that candidate. Therefore, most people are not
easily persuaded to feel differently based on what they see on Twitter.
Conclusion:
Through this study it was discovered that overall most generations have the same
views of candidates that are using Twitter for the political campaign. Majority of
participants were not active on Twitter, but were in agreement that it plays a vital role and is
a large contributing factor of who wins the presidential elections, since the 2008
Presidential Election. Through this study it is clear that candidates need to have a high
priority on social media, in order to gain more supporters especially in the younger
generations. It is important to know that through social media candidates can reach a larger
range of demographics and supporters, due to the fact that social media can spread
information to a large number of people in a matter of moments. Finally, it is important to
realize through this study it was realized that social media is starting to grow even more and
that in order for political candidates to stay up-to-date they need to have an understanding of
how voters view and use social media, such as Twitter.

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Parmelee, J. H., & Bichard, S. L. (2012). Politics and the Twitter Revolution : How Tweets
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Appendix I
Focus Group Outline
 Do you think that Twitter is a good way for political candidates to interact with
the public and to spread their platform and beliefs?
 Do you follow any political figures on Twitter? If yes, who?
 Can you give an example of a time when you were influenced on what was posted
on social media by candidates?
 Do you find yourself influenced just because a political figure tweeted
something? Give an example
 Do you think that political figures should be so active on social media?
 List of tweets from: President Obama, Republican Candidates Donald Trump and
Jeb Bush, and Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton.
a. “Rubio was very disloyal to Bush, his mentor, when he decided to run
against him. Both said they "love" each other. They don't - word is hate!”
– Donald Trump
b. “Political strategist Stuart Stevens, who led Romney down the tubes in
what should have been an easy victory, has terrible political instincts!” –
Donald Trump
c. “Expressions of sympathy aren’t enough. It’s time we do something about
this.” – President Obama
d. “We need comprehensive immigration reform with a real path to full
citizenship. There is no place in America for second-class citizenship.” –
Hillary Clinton
e. "It’s outrageous that, in 2015, you can still be fired for being gay...this
kind of discrimination goes against everything we stand for." – Hillary
Clinton
f. – Jeb Bush
g. “In FL, we put students ahead of the teachers' unions. @HillaryClinton
just accepted their endorsement, choosing special interests instead” – Jeb
Bush

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Appendix II
The Use of Twitter During a
Presidential Campaign by
Candidates
Informed Consent Information: I am researching the use of Twitter during a
presidential campaign by candidates. I want to identify if different generations
have similar or different view regarding the use of social media by presidential
candidates. Also, if they are influenced by what they see on Twitter regarding
political campaigns. The primary investigator for this study is Beth Rosser, who is
enrolled at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. If you have any questions of
concerns, please feel free to contacther at 919-758-9644 or
egrosser@email.meredith.edu. You may participate if you are at least 18 years of
age and you may terminate your participation at anytime. All responses provided
by the participant are anonymous. By continuing to fill out this survey, you are
agreeing with the following statement and have read the information in this
consent form, and have had the chance to call or email Beth Rosserwith any
questions about this study, and if I have those questions have been answered to my
satisfaction. I am at least 18 years old, and I agree to participate in this research
assignment. I understand that I can call or email Beth Rosserat any time to request
a copyof this consent form. Thank you for your participation!
Age:
18-21
22-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61+
Political affiliation:
Democratic
Republican
Libertarian
Independent
Unaffiliated
Gender:

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Male
Female
Do you have a Twitter account?
Yes
No
Ifyes to question 4, how often do you use Twitter?
Multiple times a day
Few times a day
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Ona scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself on being up-to-
date on current political issues? 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest
1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
0
Appendix III

23. 23
Informed Consent Information: I am researching the use of Twitter during a presidential
campaign by candidates. I want to identify if different generations have similar or
different views regarding the use of social media by presidential candidates. I’m also
interested in how voters are influenced by what they see onTwitter regarding political
campaigns.
The primary investigator for this study is Beth Rosser, who is enrolled at Meredith College
in Raleigh, NC. If you have any questions of concerns, please feel free to contact her at
919-758-9644 or egrosser@email.meredith.edu. You may participate if you are at least 18
years of age and you may terminate your participation at anytime. The focus group will be
recorded for data analysis only. Data is confidential and no names will be used when the
data is analyzed and presented.
By participating in this focus group, you are agreeing with the following statement and
have read the information in this consent form, and have had the chance to ask Beth
Rosserany questions about this study, and if I have those questions have been answered to
my satisfaction. I am at least 18 years old, and I agree to participate in this research
assignment. I understand that I can call or email Beth Rosserat any time to request a copy
of this consent form.
Thank you for your participation!