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300 Million Clicks and Political Engagement via Facebook in the 2016 American Presidential Election

Fri, May 25, 15:30 to 16:45, Hilton Prague, Floor: M, Yoga Room (Cybex Health Club)

Abstract

News media has the ability to set the agenda, and the US Presidential election is frequently a time to observe citizens responding to cues about the importance of the election. The importance of the media has not decreased with the increase in media choice and social network sites like Facebook. Instead, social media provides additional opportunities for scholars to observe how individuals are following and engaging with news content. Through the collection and analysis of all Facebook posts and their metadata from eight prominent Facebook pages, this study tracks the changes in Facebook user’s engagement over the course of the 2016 campaign using multilevel spline regression. We extend prior research by examining traditional campaign events as well as partisan scandals across media organization types. Engagement with news sites does vary from July to November, and we find source characteristics drive attention at specific phases of the campaign.

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