Social Media and the USA Presidency

SLO #2: Social Media and the USA Presidency. 70% of students will successfully research and evaluate how the office of the President and Vice President uses social media as a platform for their agendas. [ SLO #2 fulfills the following Program Level Outcomes: Communication, Critical Thinking, Social and Personal Responsibility, as well as the following Course Level Outcomes: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8.]

Activity for assessment:

Is Social Media a good forum for elected leaders?  How should they best communicate with the public?  You’ll evaluate the President and Vice President on their use of Twitter and Facebook to implement their agendas.

1. Read the Pew Charitable Trust article (http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2014/10/17/officials-urged-take-care-with-social-media) and develop a list of best practices for elected leaders’ use of social media.
2. Spend two weeks (select a 14-day period, and be sure to state the dates in your paper) with the President and Vice President as they utilize social media:

Donald Trump:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump 

https://www.facebook.com/POTUS/ 

Mike Pence:

https://twitter.com/mike_pence

https://www.facebook.com/VicePresidentPence/ 

1. What message or agenda are each conveying to “followers?”  Discuss three (3) themes for each official. (for example: economy, environment, guns)
2. Are they consistent with what’s on their “official” government pages?

https://www.whitehouse.gov

(*to follow up on more specific information associated with each individual, place your browser arrow over ‘The Administration’ tab and you should have the separate offices drop down*)

5. Do these elected leaders have any more personal or social responsibility to the citizens and residents of the USA than the average Facebook or Twitter user? Why?

6. If you were the social media advisor to each man, what would suggest for each?  Based upon your “best practices,” are they doing it right?  What can each do to try to reach out beyond their base of supporters/followers?

7. How would you distinguish between what is truth v what are lies?

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