Forum Focuses on Social Media and the Presidential Election

10/04/2016

Media contacts: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

* Media Advisory*

Wednesday, Oct. 5, 5 p.m.

What: The popularity of social media means that politicians no longer need to rely on traditional journalism to get their messages out to the public. How presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have responded to this sea change will be the topic of a free event at UMass Lowell for the public and campus.

“Elections in the Age of Social Media” will explore candidates’ quest to capture the support of people in the millennial generation – individuals age 19 to 35 – and others whose go-to source for news is often Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. While politicians’ use of social media allows them to shape their message, the ability of individuals to share and comment on such posts across online platforms also engages more people than ever, democratizing the discourse.

Participants on the panel are scheduled to include Politico reporter Lauren Dezenski; John Cluverius, a faculty member in UMass Lowell’s Political Science Department and research fellow in the university’s Center for Public Opinion; and two UMass Lowell students who worked at this summer’s Democratic and Republican national conventions: Adeja Crearer, an English major from Piscataway, N.J., and Tyler Farley of Taunton, who is a double major in political science and economics. The forum will be moderated by Political Science Prof. Jenifer Whitten-Woodring, an expert in political communication and the media.

The event is presented by The Connector, UMass Lowell’s student newspaper; the English and Political Science departments; and the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Where: O’Leary Library Learning Commons, Room 222, South Campus, 61 Wilder St., Lowell. Contact UMass Lowell media relations for directions and parking information.