social media more important than traditional media Flashcards
(7 cards)
Debate themes:
- Social media vs newspaper
- Social media vs radio and TV
- Social media vs opinion polls
For: Social media vs newspaper
Younger voters and social media:
Internet + social media are central to how younger voters consume political information.
Younger voters significantly shape their political views via social media.
Polling and social media usage:
YouGov polling (2024 election) shows 43% of Britons use social media for news.
A majority of voters under 50 access political news through social media platforms.
69% of voters regularly use Facebook, making it a major platform for political information.
Viral scandals and gaffes:
Social media accelerates the spread of political scandals and gaffes:
Rishi Sunak leaving D-Day commemorations early in 2024 damaged Tory popularity.
Targeted advertising on social media:
Social media allows targeted advertising, enabling political parties to reach specific voter groups.
In the 2024 election, spending on digital ads was higher than ever, with a focus on Google and Meta (Facebook) ads.
Labour Party: Spent over £2M on Google Ads and £1.15M on Meta ads.
Conservative Party: Spent £650,000 on Meta ads.
Digital ads allowed Labour to target voters who might not otherwise read supportive newspapers.
Traditional media cannot offer the same level of targeted advertising, especially to particular demographics.
Against: Social media vs newspaper
Newspaper readership:
7 million people read newspapers daily in the UK, a significant number for political information.
Older voters rely heavily on newspapers for political information and are less likely to use social media.
Influence on voting:
In 2017, 32% of the general public claimed newspapers influenced their voting choices, compared to 26% for social media.
Keir Starmer’s engagement with the press:
To reach conservative voters, Starmer engaged with right-wing publications like The Telegraph.
Dec 2023, he praised Margaret Thatcher, a controversial move aimed at repositioning Labour and appealing to voters previously alienated by the party’s left-wing policies under Corbyn.
Impact of newspaper bias on voting:
The Conservative Party won four elections (2010-2019) with strong press support.
In 2024, the Tories lost after losing press backing from key outlets like The Sun, Financial Times, and Sunday Times.
Historical example of press influence:
In the 1992 election, the Sun’s editorial on the day of the election was Neil Kinnock’s head in a lightbulb with the caption ‘If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights.’, the Sun celebrated with the headline ‘It’s the Sun wot won
it.’
Newspaper support for election outcomes:
The Sun has backed the winning party in every general election since 1979.
Traditional media dominance on social media:
A large portion of political content on social media is sourced from traditional media.
Journalists use Twitter to report news, and newspapers maintain popular online platforms that influence online political discourse.
Against: Social media vs radio and TV
TV debates play a key role in forming voter impressions of party leaders. Millions watch these debates, making them critical for political visibility.
Visual images on TV, such as the portrayal of Jeremy Corbyn’s “scruffy” appearance, are often focused on rather than his policies, influencing public perception.
Theresa May’s refusal to debate:
In 2017, Theresa May’s decision to avoid a head-to-head TV debate with Corbyn made her seem weak and contributed to her unpopularity in the eyes of voters.
TV and radio as accountability tools:
TV and radio interviews help hold politicians accountable between elections, influencing how voters perceive them.
Shows like Newsnight are instrumental in exposing government failures, such as COVID transmission to care homes and antisemitism in the Labour Party under Corbyn.
Radio interviews exposing policy failures:
TRUSENOMICS - A series of local radio interviews helped reveal the failure of Liz Truss’s economic policies, contributing to her unpopularity and eventual resignation.
TV and radio’s role in public opinion:
A survey before the 2024 election revealed that 58% of Britons access news through TV, and 42% use radio, which shows the significance of traditional media in comparison to social media (43%).
TV’s role in raising important issues:
TV documentaries can bring issues to the forefront, as seen in the Post Office Horizon scandal, where ITV and Newsnight’s coverage brought widespread public attention.
Impact of TV on policy change:
The Post Office Horizon scandal, which initially had limited coverage, became a major political issue after being exposed by TV. This led to government action, including a compensation scheme for those wrongfully convicted.
For: Social media vs radio and TV
Social media amplifies TV and radio:
Clips from TV and radio often go viral on social media, significantly increasing their reach and impact on voters. Social media serves as a vehicle to spread political messages and events to a much wider audience.
Example of viral political gaffes:
In April 2024, Chris Philip, the Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire, made a gaffe on Question Time when he appeared to think Congo was a part of Rwanda when defending his government’s policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Social media helped the incident reach a broader audience and further damaged the government’s reputation.
Political expression on social media:
Unlike TV and radio, which are required to remain politically neutral, social media allows voters to voice their own political opinions and potentially sway others, making it a powerful tool for political influence.
Limited impact of TV debates:
The impact of TV debates should not be overstated, as most voters have already formed their political opinions before watching them.
For example, the 2024 ITV debate between Sunak and Starmer was watched by 4.8 million viewers, a significant decrease from the 2019 debate (which had 6.8 million), indicating a smaller audience and less potential influence on the electorate.
Against: Social media vs opinion polls
Influence on voter turnout:
Turnout is higher when opinion polls show a close election race, as voters feel their participation is crucial.
Example: 2024 election – 59.9% turnout, likely influenced by the perception that Labour would win a landslide majority.
In contrast, elections where results are uncertain, such as 2015 and Brexit, had higher turnouts as voters were unsure of the outcome.
Turnout decline when elections seem decided:
When opinion polls show a clear winner, some voters may choose not to turn out or vote protest votes because they believe their vote won’t change the result.
Tactical voting influenced by opinion polls:
Opinion polls help voters engage in tactical voting, allowing them to choose the candidate most likely to win or stop an undesired outcome.
Example: 2015 – Liberal Democrat voters may have switched to Conservative to prevent a Labour victory, influenced by close opinion polls.
Shaping party policies:
Opinion polls can influence party policies by revealing public opinion on key issues.
Example: 2022 – Opposition to trans rights in UK public opinion led Conservative leadership candidates to take a hard stance against trans rights.
For: Social media vs opinion polls
Majority of voters ignore polls:
While opinion polls receive heavy focus in political debates, most voters likely pay little attention to them. The influence of polls on actual voter behaviour may be exaggerated, especially for the general electorate.
Opinion polls often reach voters through social media:
When opinion polls do reach voters, it is mostly through social media, which can result in misinterpretation or sensationalisation of polling data, distorting its real impact.
Polling inaccuracies:
Polls often underestimate certain voter groups, such as the “shy Tories”, who are less likely to admit they will vote Conservative.
This underestimation of Conservative support has led to discrepancies in predictions.
Examples of polling failures:
1992: Polls failed to predict John Major’s narrow victory, instead suggesting a Labour victory or a hung parliament.
Exit poll was also wrong, predicting a hung parliament when Major won.
2015: Polls wrongly predicted a Labour wipeout by the SNP and showed Labour and the Tories as almost tied at 34% in England. In reality, the Conservatives secured 36.9%, and Labour had 30.4%.
However, recent accuracy:
2019 and 2024 polls were largely accurate, predicting the Tory majority in 2019 and a Labour landslide in 2024.
