Digital Media
Censorship has been an issue in the past as we know and it isn’t going anywhere in 2021. The problem will only increase as tech companies continue to gain power and influence. People on the right side of the aisle feel this issue far more than the left. It is no secret that these large tech companies lean far left. 90% of Republicans say it is likely that social media sites censor certain political viewpoints and there are so many different instances that have led a large majority of Republicans to feel this way. Twitter alone has locked President Trump out of his account dozens of times for extended periods of time during his presidency. Twitter and Facebook also worked together prior to the 2020 Presidential election to silence a New York Post article regarding the investigation of Hunter Biden to prevent harm to Joe Biden so soon to election day. These tech companies constantly play favorites and I predict the silencing of conservative voices will only get worse under the Biden administration over the next 4 years.
Political Research
Still following the topic of social media, there are hot-button words used online that trigger conservatives and liberals differently. A study was done at multiple universities such as Berkeley and John Hopkins where they scanned the brains of three dozen politically left and right leaning individuals as they watched videos on hop topics such as immigration. What they found was that liberals and conservatives responded differently when the content contained vocabulary that frequently pops up in political campaign messaging. This research showed a glimpse into the partisan brain and proved the power language can have in driving polarization or persuasion.
Source for reference:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201020150509.htm
Political Data
After the 2020 presidential election, the majority of the youth turnout was for Biden over trump. The youth turnout is estimated to be between 52%-55% between the ages of 18-29 and has increased by 10% since 2016. Joe Biden was able to secure the youth vote over Trump by a 25-point margin but still more than a third of the youth vote (36%) supported Trump. It isn’t terribly surprising that the left has been able to sway the youth vote more in their favor. They are more savvy on social media with their campaigns and have a modern appeal that can easily sway new voters. The Republican party could use a digital facelift in order to win more of the youth vote in the next election cycle.
Source for reference:
https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/election-week-2020#the-views-of-young-trump-voters
