The Power of “Issue Ownership Network”: A Big-Data Analysis of the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election

• In Event: The Role of Candidates and Issues in Voting Behaviour

Abstract

This paper presents an empirical study that tests an emerging media effects model, the Network Agenda Setting (NAS) Model and the theory of issue ownership. Big data analytics and semantic network analysis were used to examine the large dataset collected on Twitter during the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Results show that the news media can determine the public’s identification of a political candidate with not just individual issues, but also entire networks of issues. Here we argue that the news media still set the public agenda in this new media environment, and do so in ways more complicated through constructing message networks. The study also demonstrates that the NAS model and its unique focus can potentially enrich the understanding of other communication and social science theories and concepts.

Authors

• Lei Guo, Boston U

• Chris Vargo, U of Alabama