Affiliations: Information and Computer Sciences Department, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Sara Douglas, Information and Computer Sciences Department, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. E-mail:sarad@hawaii.edu
Abstract: With the arrival of television, voters began to care not only about
political candidates' stances on issues, but also about character, as
demonstrated by Kennedy's and Nixon's 1960 debate. In the current
qualitative study, we investigate how the technologically savvy Millennials
form impressions of candidates when they obtain information through social
or nonsocial media. We found that Millennials tend to stumble upon political
information rather than seek it out, regardless of social media influence.
We also found that social (versus nonsocial) media use did increase citizen
expectations of candidates. Whereas both social and nonsocial groups
appreciated candidate stance on issues and candidate character, those who
were exposed to candidates via social media also sought
candidate-to-community connection. Interestingly, the generation that has
notoriously less physical community interaction, possibly due to social
media, tends to emphasize community involvement when evaluating candidates
through social media. This finding supports the view that with new media,
public value is defined largely by interactions between senior politicians
and the public.
Keywords: Social networking, social media, e-participation, e-citizenship, digital democracy, Millennials
