Institutional Bias
1) What does the article suggest was the main media influence on the 2015 general election?
This article suggests that all media platforms played a role in influencing the 2015 general election, and newspapers were noted as having one of the biggest impacts as they were seen as being particularly biased towards the Conservatives, most likely, according to the article, because these newspapers are owned by Rupert Murdoch, who is also a strong supporter of right wing politics.
2) What examples are provided of how social media was used during the 2015 election campaign?
One newspaper, The Sun, published a photo of Ed Miliband eating a sandwich - this photo was shared on Twitter and went viral on many social media sites. The photo itself isn't the most flattering and the amount of shares and comments ridiculing him could therefore have led audiences to believe that Ed Miliband would be a ridiculous choice as the country's leader - based on the fact that he looks unattractive eating a sandwich.
3) Does analysis of the 2015 election suggest that new and digital media has challenged the power of traditional institutions?
I would say yes because the development of new and digital media means that young people, who are less likely to read newspapers, are becoming a lot more immersed in politics, in particular political debates, and therefore more and more young people are forming their own political voice, and many voted in the 2015 election, without being directly influenced by traditional institutions like newspapers, as many people would have been 20 years ago.
Now read this Guardian article on social media influence in the recent 2017 UK general election.
4) Why does it suggest Labour "won the social media election" in 2017?
It describes Labour's social media campaign as "polished", alternatively describing Conservative's as "unprepared and unresponsive" - this online positivity exhibited by Labour could have definitely contributed to their "win". It also notes that instead of negatively targeting their opposition on social media, they used it to their advantage by creating videos to promote their campaign.
5) What examples are provided of how the parties used social media during the 2017 election campaign?
Along with the videos, Labour also created their own hashtag - #forthemany in order to -as the article puts it - "rally the younger vote". However, Conservative didn't use social media to promote themselves, but rather degrade Labour in the hope of deterring the public from voting for them.
6) Does analysis of the 2017 election suggest that new and digital media has challenged the power of traditional institutions?
This article suggests that all media platforms played a role in influencing the 2015 general election, and newspapers were noted as having one of the biggest impacts as they were seen as being particularly biased towards the Conservatives, most likely, according to the article, because these newspapers are owned by Rupert Murdoch, who is also a strong supporter of right wing politics.
2) What examples are provided of how social media was used during the 2015 election campaign?
One newspaper, The Sun, published a photo of Ed Miliband eating a sandwich - this photo was shared on Twitter and went viral on many social media sites. The photo itself isn't the most flattering and the amount of shares and comments ridiculing him could therefore have led audiences to believe that Ed Miliband would be a ridiculous choice as the country's leader - based on the fact that he looks unattractive eating a sandwich.
3) Does analysis of the 2015 election suggest that new and digital media has challenged the power of traditional institutions?
I would say yes because the development of new and digital media means that young people, who are less likely to read newspapers, are becoming a lot more immersed in politics, in particular political debates, and therefore more and more young people are forming their own political voice, and many voted in the 2015 election, without being directly influenced by traditional institutions like newspapers, as many people would have been 20 years ago.
Now read this Guardian article on social media influence in the recent 2017 UK general election.
4) Why does it suggest Labour "won the social media election" in 2017?
It describes Labour's social media campaign as "polished", alternatively describing Conservative's as "unprepared and unresponsive" - this online positivity exhibited by Labour could have definitely contributed to their "win". It also notes that instead of negatively targeting their opposition on social media, they used it to their advantage by creating videos to promote their campaign.
5) What examples are provided of how the parties used social media during the 2017 election campaign?
Along with the videos, Labour also created their own hashtag - #forthemany in order to -as the article puts it - "rally the younger vote". However, Conservative didn't use social media to promote themselves, but rather degrade Labour in the hope of deterring the public from voting for them.
6) Does analysis of the 2017 election suggest that new and digital media has challenged the power of traditional institutions?
Similarly to the 2015 election and even more so now, I think that social media definitely has more power over things like general elections than traditional institutions like newspapers. More and more people, including politicians are regularly active on social media and partake in many debates with members of the public, something that newspapers wouldn't ever be able to provide.
7) Finally, write a paragraph summarising your own opinion on this debate: Have the inequalities that characterise old media ownership extended into new media ownership? Is the internet run by powerful media institutions?
Personally I think that although media institutions hold the majority of the power over the internet, members of the public appear to be gaining a lot more power as new and digital media has become so accessible and so changeable by anyone who has the ability to do so and the people in the role of "prosumers" are becoming all the more prominent in the media and therefore, powerful media institutions don't have the power they once had.
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