The Election of 2016: A Media Revolution

Jordyn Kalman, Reporter

The 2016 election has been one of the nastiest elections in American history. With the American public becoming more polarized than ever before and two candidates who are both so strongly disliked, it’s hard to believe one could be our next president. But when you look through all of the mudslinging, Twitter wars, and outrageous comments, this election will go down as one of the most important elections in history because it’s getting the American public involved in politics.

This election is attracting a record high number of people watching the debates and conventions. The first presidential debate back in September attracted a record shattering 84 million viewers, making it the most watched debate in the 60-year history of televised debates.

More data shows that viewership didn’t drop off after 30 minutes. People consistently watched the debate until the end. This unwavering attention shows that this election has people genuinely interested in what’s going on in their country and that the audience is dedicated enough to watch the full 90 minutes.

That’s not the end of the conversation, though. According to Twitter, this election has been the most tweeted about election ever. It far exceeded the 10.3 million tweets regarding the Obama Romney elections. People are also getting involved by posting memes and jokes about the candidates and each debate. All joking aside, this surge of social media response to each debate shows that this election has sparked young people, the primary users of social media, to get interested in politics.

Millennials and young adults are notorious for their political apathy, but this election is helping change the tides. While many teenagers can’t actually vote, they are beginning to use their voices in other ways to express their discontent with the country’s current political situation.

This spark will hopefully carry many people to the voting booth come election day and will change the voting patterns of Americans, who are notorious for not voting. The permanent presence of politics in media has forced people to pay attention, but people have gone farther and chosen to stay engaged with this election. The effects won’t wear off as November passes, and hopefully the election of 2016 inspires a whole new generation of politically active Americans.

The 2016 election has been one of the nastiest elections in American history. With the American public becoming more polarized than ever before and two candidates who are both so strongly disliked, it’s hard to believe one could be our next president. But when you look through all of the mudslinging, Twitter wars, and outrageous comments, this election will go down as one of the most important elections in history because it’s getting the American public involved in politics.

This election is attracting a record high number of people watching the debates and conventions. The first presidential debate back in September attracted a record shattering 84 million viewers, making it the most watched debate in the 60-year history of televised debates.

More data shows that viewership didn’t drop off after 30 minutes. People consistently watched the debate until the end. This unwavering attention shows that this election has people genuinely interested in what’s going on in their country and that the audience is dedicated enough to watch the full 90 minutes.

That’s not the end of the conversation, though. According to Twitter, this election has been the most tweeted about election ever. It far exceeded the 10.3 million tweets regarding the Obama Romney elections. People are also getting involved by posting memes and jokes about the candidates and each debate. All joking aside, this surge of social media response to each debate shows that this election has sparked young people, the primary users of social media, to get interested in politics.

Millennials and young adults are notorious for their political apathy, but this election is helping change the tides. While many teenagers can’t actually vote, they are beginning to use their voices in other ways to express their discontent with the country’s current political situation.

This spark will hopefully carry many people to the voting booth come election day and will change the voting patterns of Americans, who are notorious for not voting. The permanent presence of politics in media has forced people to pay attention, but people have gone farther and chosen to stay engaged with this election. The effects won’t wear off as November passes, and hopefully the election of 2016 inspires a whole new generation of politically active Americans.