The Impact of Generational Changes on Social Media Use in Politics
Abstract
People of different generations use social media in a variety of ways including for the purpose of political engagement, but the difference in use based on the generation has not been fully explored. This study investigates the use of social media for the purposes of political engagement among five generations-Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, Millennials, and Generation Z - to find generational differences and provides recommendations for political campaigns to using social media effectively among each generation. Research questions addressed are: How do generations use different platforms of social media for the purposes of political engagement? What are individual-generation level and cross-generation level differences in “how,” “what,” and “engagement” social media are used for the field of politics? (A Ayankoya, 2013). What implications could be drawn from the findings for political campaigns to utilize social media effectively for political engagement across generations? By using a mixed-method approach-combining an analysis of 700 posts from 35 news media pages on Facebook and an online survey with 1,260 U.S. adults-data suggests that while the preference of specific platforms and type of political social media content differs by generation, there is consistency in the skepticism of credibility of political content encountered on social media. Understanding generational differences in social media use for the sphere of politics is important for candidates, political parties, and advocacy groups hoping to engage individuals across generations with the intention of garnering political participation.
Keywords generational differences, social media use, political engagement, Traditionalists, Millennials, skepticism, political campaigns