"Friending the Electorate": POLS Talk to Discuss Social Media in US Political Campaigns
With the US presidential election only a month away, the Bilkent Department of Political Science has scheduled a guest lecture that is sure to provide new insights into the campaign process in that country. On Thursday, October 4, Danny Hayes of the Department of Political Science at George Washington University will speak on "Friending the Electorate: Social Media in US Political Campaigns."
Social media have quickly been embraced by US political campaigns. Nearly every candidate has a Facebook page and a Twitter feed. Social media, notes Dr. Hayes, have given politicians an unprecedented ability to talk directly to voters, but there are also significant limitations on what these tools can do for political campaigns. His talk will discuss the media strategies of the 2012 presidential campaigns of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney as well as recent survey data about the public's political use of social media.
The lecture will take place Thursday, October 4, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in C-Block Auditorium in the FEASS Building on Main Campus, as part of the POLS Talks series organized by the Department of Political Science.