• Sharing Fear via Facebook: A Lesson in Political Public Relations

    Editor(s):
    Shashi Bhusan Nayak (see profile)
    Date:
    2021
    Group(s):
    Communication Studies
    Subject(s):
    Mass media--Study and teaching, Twentieth century, Alternative mass media, Digital media
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Media studies, Media theory, 21st-century media studies, Alternative media
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/cb4j-yb82
    Abstract:
    Our study compared the use of fear messages on Facebook by Barack Obama and Mitt Romney during the 2012 U.S. presidential elections. Results show that written fear messages embedded in photographs posted on Facebook by both candidates affected the degree to which those photographs were shared. More specifically, photographs containing written fear messages were shared more often than photographs not containing written fear messages. Furthermore, while the challenging candidate, Mitt Romney, used more photographs containing fear messages, the increase in shares was consistent across candidates. Implications regarding information distribution within communities, public relations practitioners specializing in political campaigning and society as a whole are discussed. Keywords: Content analysis, social media, 2012 election, protection, motivation theory
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Journal article    
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    2 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
    Share this:

    Downloads

    Item Name: pdf sharing-fear-via-facebook.pdf
      Download View in browser
    Activity: Downloads: 30