Skip to main content

About Me!

Hello all! My name is Emma Buker, and I will be using this blog as an exploration of how Americans use TikTok for political purposes, and how the TikTok algorithm in turn impacts how Americans interpret politics. I will be covering different politicians, advocacy groups, and current events, all through the lens of TikTok. 

With social media playing such an important role in the spread of political information, especially around election season, I think it will be interesting to focus on one platform and see how political information is disseminated across the user base. There has also been an upward trend this year with politicians using TikTok to try and secure the votes of Gen Z, so I would like to study the effectiveness of that campaign. 

In general, I think politics on social media have a bad reputation for being misinformation or shallow, but I view social media as a legitimate tool to get a wide range of people involved in politics at any level. 

If you have any tips or stories you'd like me to cover, let me know! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trump's battle against "Washington elites" is neverending

Corina  Lacatus’ study Populism and the 2016 American Election: Evidence from Official Press Releases and Twitter defines populism as “a type of political rhetoric predicated on the moral vilification of elites, who are perceived as self-serving and undemocratic.” Lacatus identifies Trump as the populist candidate of 2016, with him labeling Democrats as the elites, saying they aren’t helping the white middle class of America. From what I can gather, Trump would actually be considered one of the true “elites,” seeing as he’s a “self-serving and undemocratic” billionaire. Lacatis said no matter the ideological leaning of the candidate, populists promise to upset the status quo with one that centralizes the people, not the elites. Trump’s wide appeal to the white middle class definitely took a populist approach in 2016 and may have secured him the election.  In my opinion, the two most interesting findings in Lacatus’ study are the differences in the three candidates’ uses of o...
Post a Comment
Read more

How exposure to mass media influences audiences in politically-significant ways

Mass media plays a key role in shaping political attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors, acting as the main way individuals receive information about politics. While media exposure can have positive effects, like increasing political engagement and knowledge, it can also lead to negative outcomes, like reinforcing misinformation and polarization. This impact can be seen most commonly from traditional news outlets, but the same effects can be seen on social platforms like TikTok as well. One of the primary benefits of mass media is its potential to enhance political knowledge and empathy. According to Dunaway and Graber, political scientist Daniel Lerner discussed a personality trait called “empathic capacity.” This theory posited that when media present new concepts, audiences empathize with what is happening in the story and try to imitate it. An example they gave was when audience members view a news piece about slum dwellers and the accommodations they live in, viewers will apply that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How are candidates capitalizing on the prevailing narratives of this year's election?

In the 2024 General Election, a prevailing narrative that has taken hold is the fight for women’s reproductive rights and immigration. Kamala Harris’ campaign has highlighted her intentions to reinstate Roe v. Wade and statewide access to abortions and reproductive healthcare, while Donald Trump’s campaign is sticking with the recently-adopted “leave it up to the states” motto. While Harris’ platform focuses on women’s issues, Trump’s campaign is still focusing on illegal immigration and the “border crisis.” Many of Trump’s ads attack migrants and Harris’ policies as vice president, calling her the “border czar” and using foreboding music to make viewers associate immigration with feelings of unease and distrust. That can be seen in this advertisement , as well as many of the other ads from his team. Meanwhile, the Harris/Walz campaign has taken the platform that women have the right to choose and Roe v. Wade protections must be reinstated. Her ads take a gentle, empathetic approach to...
2 comments
Read more