“The Impact of Social Media on Political Knowledge and Participation in American Democracy”

Read Chapters 6, 7, 8 & 9
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/09/2016-election-social-media-ruining-politics-213104/
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/05/why-social-media-ruining-political-discourse/589108/
After completing the background reading, engage in a discussion that provides your informed opinion on the topic. Make sure to include citations to your questions/responses to help your classmates develop a deeper understanding of the topic.
Since the advent of polling, political scientists have found that Americans don’t know much about the details of political issues or even the names of many leading politicians. Education is one distinguishing factor that separates the politically sophisticated from the unsophisticated, but, since education levels have increased over the last half-century, why hasn’t Americans’ knowledge of politics increased? How does democracy survive given such low levels of political knowledge among Americans over time?
Can democracy be sustained when so few people are involved in the political system? Voter turnout in a local election can run less than 10 percent, yet local governments are the ones that affect people more closely daily. Why do more people not vote in America? Explain.
The role of public opinion influences how we view and make our political decision based on media, family, education, religion, race, etc. Please comment on any of those elements and how did it influence your political decision.
Can the average American trust the media, given the amount of “fake news” that is placed on social media, I often wonder if we have a fair chance to understand the candidates and the political process. I will love to hear your comments.

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