The influence of social media on Kean University students voting in the 2024 presidential election
Sydney Stemley
Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: College of Business and Public Management
Major: Accounting
Faculty Research Mentor: Shanique Coombs
Abstract:
Social media has become a crucial part of everyday life as it has evolved so immensely within the last couple of decades. This evolution has not only impacted daily life, but it has taken a toll on the political realm as well. With each new election cycle, an increased usage of social media regarding political topics is measured, and it is important to understand how this surge will impact the future generations, especially with regard to who is elected into high positions of power. This project will investigate the most influential social media platforms within the youngest generation of voters in order to better evaluate how they receive political information and therefore make their voting decisions. The analysis used a quantitative approach through a Google forms questionnaire to survey college students about the type of media they saw that corresponds to the 2024 presidential election. The results demonstrated a positive correlation between a heightened social media usage and voter participation. There was also an increase in political advertisements and activity online that had a drastic effect as well, in addition to a switch in which platforms were the most relevant to the younger age group. Overall, it is important to understand how politicians should broadcast their campaigns in order to have to largest impact and maximize their resources.