Social Media Impacts on Politics
Start Date
April 2026
Location
2nd floor - Library
Abstract
This research project is well grounded in an extensive array of empirical evidence from the American National Election Studies (ANES) 2024 Time Series. Specifically, the dataset enables us to establish a clear, tangible connection between contemporary social media use and real-life voting decisions. Through the application of relevant measures of social media use as the independent variable, including frequency of news consumption and engagement with such social media apps as TikTok, Instagram, and X, we will be able to statistically analyze their effect on the dependent variable – voter turnout. The dataset offers a broad set of demographic controls, such as voters' age, education, and gender, helping us isolate the effect of social media on voting behavior from other sociological factors. Perhaps more importantly, the availability of data on "Trust in Social Media" will help to identify internal mechanisms responsible for such a connection between the variable under discussion. Thus, the ANES 2024 Time Series will allow our project to transition from a mere hypothetical discussion of possible effects to hard numbers.
Social Media Impacts on Politics
2nd floor - Library
This research project is well grounded in an extensive array of empirical evidence from the American National Election Studies (ANES) 2024 Time Series. Specifically, the dataset enables us to establish a clear, tangible connection between contemporary social media use and real-life voting decisions. Through the application of relevant measures of social media use as the independent variable, including frequency of news consumption and engagement with such social media apps as TikTok, Instagram, and X, we will be able to statistically analyze their effect on the dependent variable – voter turnout. The dataset offers a broad set of demographic controls, such as voters' age, education, and gender, helping us isolate the effect of social media on voting behavior from other sociological factors. Perhaps more importantly, the availability of data on "Trust in Social Media" will help to identify internal mechanisms responsible for such a connection between the variable under discussion. Thus, the ANES 2024 Time Series will allow our project to transition from a mere hypothetical discussion of possible effects to hard numbers.
