Social Media Politics Digital Discord in the 2020 Presidential Election

"Pernicious levels of political disharmony, partisan divides, and uncivil discourse, occurring in an information environment dominated by social media, combined to create a perfect storm in the 2020 presidential election, the aftermath of which is still being felt today. Bringing together a mix of established and emerging scholars, Social Media Politics provides insightful new ways to make sense - both theoretically and practically - of the role of communication in contemporary politics. Highly recommended to students, scholars, journalists, and practitioners."

Michael X. Delli Carpini, Oscar H. Gandy Emeritus Professor of Communication and Democracy, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania

"No one doubts that social and digital media are contributing mightily to the vicious polarization in our politics. Waves of disinformation originate on Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest-and feed dangerous attacks on democracy, as we saw on January 6, 2021 with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Effective solutions aren't easy to find, but Professors Dan Schill and John Allen Hendricks, and their distinguished group of contributors, dig deep and show us how devilish the problem is. This book will leave every reader with a much better sense of what our political system is facing."

Larry J. Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics