Despite the rapid increase in numbers of politicians on Twitter and Facebook — a trend that also has been seen in Canada — television remains the main source of election news for citizens, Owen said.
Four years ago, 68 per cent of Americans reported they were getting election news mainly from TV. This year, that’s up to 74 per cent, she said, citing studies by the Pew Research Centre.
However, this doesn’t mean that American politicians are abandoning social media, Owen said. In fact, mindful of Twitter’s and Facebook’s clout in 2008, Republicans and Democrats are flooding social media with all kinds of messages, in a far more systematic and organized fashion. But it’s not the interactive dialogue that was once predicted when social media began to be used in politics.
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