How Social Media and Technology Influence Elections

Can Twitter predict who will win the election?

Two out of three Americans use social media every day. There are 100 million daily active twitter users, 1,374,000,000 people on Facebook, 2.3 million Google searches a second, 187 million unique visitors monthly; and 1 billion viewers on YouTube generating millions of hours and trillions of views. Our go-to means for research and news has changed dramatically from the days of print, radio and television.

Social media and technology has opened the door to more possibilities of hacking, vote totals that can be tampered with, tweets deleted and infinite possibilities to influence voters with information, not all factual. And while people may be more engaged, social media is most effective at the margins. People tend to self-select what reinforces their own beliefs and if they find a community like them individuals harden in their position.

Joining host Dennis McCuistion to discuss the impact of social media on our vote are experts in the field:

• Murat Kantarcioglu, PhD: Professor of Computer Science and Director, Data Security and Privacy Lab, University of Texas at Dallas;
• Chris Kraft: Founder and CEO, Share Rocket, Inc.;
• Victoria Farrar-Myers, PhD: Senior Fellow, The John G. Tower Center for Political Studies, Southern Methodist University. Author: Controlling the Message, New Media in American Political Campaigns and
• Hannah Wise: Dallas Morning News Breaking News Reporter.

How much does social media influence how we vote? Is it any more effective than print, radio and TV?
Does social media allow for more civic democracy, more content development of issues and deeper conversation? Or does it hinder and bias our outcomes depending on its source and slant?

Join us for a robust conversation using the archaic communication of television to see how the media is changing society and our way of thinking.

And please don’t forget that for the last 25 years it is you, our viewer who keeps us on the air.

The McCuistion Program, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization does not receive any KERA pledge dollars, PBS funds or government grants, so thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Niki McCuistion
Co-Founder, Executive Producer, Producer
Business Consultant / Executive Coach, specializing in Organizational Culture Change, Governance and Strategic Planning
(214) 394-6794
www.nikimccuistion.com
nikin@nikimccuistion.com