Differentiated Information Flows: Social Media Curation Practices in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections

Authors

  • Sam Jackson University at Albany
  • Jennifer Stromer-Galley Syracuse University
  • Jeff Hemsley Syracuse University

Keywords:

homophily, information publics, hyperlinking, political campaigns, political parties, Twitter, Facebook

Abstract

Digital media enable political actors to engage in strategic information curation. This study analyzes the linking practices of U.S. presidential candidates running in the 2016 election. Using exploratory data analysis and confirmatory tests of hyperlinked domains, we find that presidential candidates curate information flows that are distinct by party and even within party. Though candidates in both parties share a common set of links primarily via mainstream media outlets, Republican candidates also link to a set of news and information sites that their Democratic counterparts do not link to, and vice versa. Republican candidates have distinct hyperlinking practices during the surfacing and primary stages of the election cycle relative to other Republican candidates, suggesting that just as candidates differentiate themselves in terms of issue ownership, they also do so in terms of information ownership. Finally, the candidates use Twitter and Facebook differently in terms of the frequency of links and the diversity of those links.

Author Biographies

Sam Jackson, University at Albany

Sam Jackson is Assistant Professor in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany. His research focuses on computational social science, social media, and politics (understood broadly).

Jennifer Stromer-Galley, Syracuse University

Jennifer Stromer-Galley is Professor in the School of Information Studies and Director for the Center for Computational and Data Science at Syracuse University, and she is Past President of the Association of Internet Researchers. Her research focuses on online interaction and strategic communication in a variety of contexts, including political forums and online games.

Jeff Hemsley, Syracuse University

Jeff Hemsley is Assistant Professor at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington’s Information School. His research is about understanding information diffusion, particularly in the context of politics, in social media. He is co-author of the book Going Viral (Polity Press, 2013 and winner of ASIS&T Best Science Books of 2014 Information award and selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2014), which explains what virality is, how it works technologically and socially, and draws out the implications of this process for social change.

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Published

2020-03-29

Issue

Vol. 14 (2020)

Section

Articles

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