Publication Date
5-2022
Abstract
This essay analyzes the social media strategies used by three very different candidates who have all run for presidential office. Using Joshua Meyrowitz’s application of Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, we can see the ‘middle region’ performances politicians use to seem approachable and relatable to their target audience. With the transition from print media, to the early stages of electronic media, to social media, the barrier between a politician and the public has broken down to the point where the American public has the illusion of a personal connection with these political figures. It is hard to draw similarities between the three very different candidates, Pete Buttigieg, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama. With vastly different ideologies, backgrounds, and supporters, these three candidates seemed to harness the shift in the political sphere to their advantage. Looking specifically at their Twitter profiles and televised Name: Madeline Graf Year: Senior Major: Communication with Political Science minor media appearances, this paper illustrates similarities and differences among how Pete Buttigieg, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama present their ‘middle region’ to the public.
Recommended Citation
Graf, Madeline
(2022)
"The Bipartisan Media Strategy: How Three Ideologically Different Candidates Found Success,"
Comm-entary: Vol. 18:
Iss.
1, Article 10.
Available at:
https://scholars.unh.edu/comm-entary/vol18/iss1/10