The Alternative Approach: Alternative Media and It's Impact on Voter Preferences

Publication Date

2025

Presentation Length

15 minutes

College

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

Department

Political Science, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

SPARK Category

Research

Faculty Advisor

Nathan Griffith

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

How has the rise of alternative media affected voter preferences? Several alternative media formats have attracted attention recently such as podcasts, social media, and alternative websites which have seemingly contributed to partisan polarization. These mediums have ushered in a new era of political messaging including from candidates, party elites and in the information made available to voters which has had a top-down effect. While research has outlined the historical impacts of partisan media outlets, especially in a more modern sense there has been little research done into the recent and rising impacts of these new forms of media on voter preferences. It appears a connection can be made from previous theories that have been built surrounding the impact of partisan media outlets on voters to these new formats. This includes the continued growth and perpetuation of echo chambers, confirmation bias that is reinforced by algorithms in social media and the potential for the gathering of new ideas through social media to reduce partisan polarization. I believe that through this research a connection will appear between alternative media and partisan preferences in voting. In this study, I will look to address the gap in knowledge that is present by examining the American National Elections Studies 2020-2022 Social Media Study to see if there is a correlation between the consumption of alternative media outlets, traditional media formats, and voting preferences.

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