European studiesPolitical studies
From Brexit to Trump: Social Media’s Role in Democracy
Authors Wendy Hall, University of Southampton Ramine Tinati, University of Southampton Will Jennings, University of Southampton
Abstract
The ability to share, access, and connect facts and opinions among like-minded (and not so) citizens has encouraged wholesale political adoption of platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Yet our ability to understand the impact that social networks have had on the democratic process is currently very limited. The authors analyze the role social media played in the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election and the Brexit referendum.