How Does the Election Effect Your Social Networks?

It’s true that you see more and more people using social media to voice their own opinions on politics in general as well as their thoughts on the upcoming election. I personally don’t ever post my thoughts or views because I find it to be  asking for unnecessary controversy via social media that I simply don’t wish to start or engage in. That being said, I greatly enjoy reading  the opinions and commentary of my friends and family members and I’ve come to find it entertaining, interesting, and somewhat educational. Even though I dont particulary or publicly engage in it, i do not completely ignore it. It has become prevalent on my feeds everyday and I think it's it cool way to stay connected with what your peers are thinking.

I rarely post my political views but I have no problem with someone posting theirs. The only exception to this is someone posting without having any idea what they're talking about or have nothing to back up their arguement. The problem with politics today is that there is no discourse between parties. Facebook seems to filled with a lot of people shouting things about this candidate or that candidate but there never seems to be a discussion. I find it very interesting when a knowledgeable person posts something political on Facebook because it gives people the opportunity to talk to one another and discuss their opinions. There is a small likelihood of someone's opinion being changed but it refreshing to see that people actually give a damn about what is happening and are intelligent enough to discuss it. 

Personally, I don't post my political opinions on any form of social media.  However, I am known to repost a video bashing Trump every now and then.  That being said, I post those videos because there's an element of humour.  I don't post them because I want the world to know how I personally feel about this election and the candidates.  Often times, I feel that people post too much information on their social media accounts, including their political opinions.  This has persuaded my opinin about several people I'm friends with.  I think it's important to stay mindful, and aware of the potential to offend people, and really think about how important your opinion is to the world.

Many times I don't express my opinion through social media outlets. However through my feed I do come across people arguing with each other about the election. In a way it offers me some enlightment to notcice how strongly some people feel and there opinion on the future of America. However, the social media does does not offer crediablity, in this case it will not influnce my judgement. In many ways I could be considered as an observer of others opionions.

I think political opinion is another one of those things that has ruined the idea of Facebook. Friends of mine constantly post their political views and I feel that some of my more outspoken friends feel they either have to make a post like this, or argue someone elses post. I never post my political views or argue someone elses because my opinion is that politics are something that should be kept private. I also feel the people that respond to these types of posts do it because they are looking for fights or validation. I have never seen someone convinced out of their own views over a Facebook post, and i've definitely seen some bold claims that were not factual at all made on my news feed. I always ignore political posts, and I think social networks play a major role in why we have the candidates that we have for the 2016 election. 

I'm 100% against posting my potlitical views on social media becuase of how harsh people can be. It's one thing to advocate for an idea you support but when you start putting someones name in your mouth you are secluding yourself from a whole group of people. I have seen people be very extreme with political view to the point of blocking them or removing them as a freind. If its an idea, I will support it but no one needs to know who I'm voting for. My question is, do you think compnaies take into consideration your politcal view and voice when hiring for a job? Maybe thats why I'm scared to post about it because it could be holding me back from a certain group of people. 

I personally never comment on any political posts. I find them very annoying and very uninforming. Its amazing how you can read one thing, then scroll down your newsfeed ad see that same fact but different, its hard to know what to believe. People occasionally post how they feel about the election, mainly adults. None of it influences me, i just choose to ignore it. 

I usually do not post any political opinion online. I like to look at how people talk about on their political view so I follow few news website and political person. If I see any post that I really agree on, I will likely to click a like or repost for the post. Most of my friends they also do not post their view on website because they might think it is useless to post something there, and it won't make any big change. If I see a post that has another side of view than mine, I will also open other's opinions because they do not influence my own opinion unless it talks about truth. If I am not agree or very dislike on some political opinions I will definitely post a disagree comment under the post.

I think soical media is great to be able to chare your opinions and reasons for them, but some people take it too far. I do not post my views because I don't want to argue anyone over what I believe and will choose to do. What people posts doesn't always influence me, but sometimes it does give me information about a canadate I never knew. There's a difference in shairng opinioin and then forcing an opinion on someone else. I never argue I just ignore and allow people to feel how they want too. 

I personally do not post anything relating to politics on social media. I can't stand all the posts and different videos about the candidates that have taken over my timeline. I wish I didn't have to see them but because it's right in front of me in my timeline I'm inclined to read the different opinions and watch the videos. However, I am definately not influenced by people's sometimes ignorant opinions, and I really do keep to myself on politics. 

I personally do not use social media to share my political opinion, I usually keep it to myself. However people on my feeds such as Twitter and Facebook do not. There is thousands of videos and links that are posted, bashing the canidates and getting shared around, like you said, with no credibility to them, just opinions! It does not influence me, however I do usually watch the videos and read the links, cause why not, maybe one will eventually influence me. I just ignore it when I disagree, what people say is their opinion, and who and I to argue it. 

I actually enjoy how social media is potraying the election because everyones own personal take is so real and honest. People have not been afraid what they think of Hilary or Donald and its actually quite fun to see it all play out on social media channels. I personally don't really post my views because I honestly don't know enough to say what I want to say about each candidate, I guess I just don't feel like people bashing on me online, I'd feel uncomfortable I guess. The only thing I do really post about the election online are just funny videos and memes on the candidates. Anything that is posted that I funny I'll repost it.

People in my network will say their own views, but I really just ignore it because I'm not as interested in it as these people are which is totally cool by me. Everyone is different with different interests and if they feel like talking about it they definitley can. It really doesn't influence me too much to post about it since others are, like I said only funny stuff.

I do not think that these posts really sway me as much as they show who I really respect as a human being because if they are super passionate about either canadiate they do not see they are severally flawed. I normally do not post things about political campaigns, just more about rights I believe in, so when Donald Trump had that video leaked of him, I more spoke about women's rights and the thought of having someone that did not respect an entire gender. People always pot politically on my Facebook. I usually just ignore it because I am a small town I have very different views then a lot of people I grew up with.

While everyone is entitled to their own opinions and can share what they choose to on their social media accounts, I personally hate it when people share their political views on social media. I never post my own views, and I never comment on other peoples posts about their views- especially if I don't agree. Everyone can have their own opinion, and I dont see the point in starting a Facebook comment war with someone just because I don't necessarily agree with what they post. I try to keep up to date with current events, and I would prefer to research a candidate on my own and form an opinion based off of my own research, not other people forcing their views upon me. Like I mentioned in a previous blog comment though, social media has definitely influenced a younger demographic to get involved with the election-- which makes it nearly impossible for me to not see political posts in my newsfeed. 

I usually don't post my political opinion in social media platform. I don't post my views. If i did, some people will post their views in my network. It's not influence me, because we know each other, I mean you can anything you want with some stranger from internet, but if you talk with somebody you know, you probably just be nice. I don't argue when I disagree. My question will be how to earn positive eWOM(electronic word of mouth)? 

It's very interesting that this is the blog post this week because I for the first time shared something somewhat political to my facebook which I tend to avoid. I shared something that was from a not reliable source, but it's how they are handling the Trump "lockerroom" discussion. My point was that it was just repelling rape culture forward and not so much to do with the actual politcal debate. Within minutes I had many people yelling at me about sharing this. What I also find interesting is how innacurate most of the information is that people are sharing. However, no one has ever posted something that has changed my opinion in any way shape or form. 

I definitely repost support for certain political parties, although I don't think I am open to persuasion by the other party. When I repost videos or articles in support; I think I'm subconsiously looking to see which of my followers support my same beliefs and which oppose. I enjoy a healthy debate, but when it turns into mudslinging I excuse myself. This election season is littered with political noise that has little to no regard for policy or respect for eachothers campaign. I never comment my political beliefs on other's posts I simply like or keep scrolling. 

Personally, I never post my politcal views on any social media cite.  This is just another way to stir up arguements.  Recently, especially this debate, people have been very sensitive about expressing their poltical views.  People will always have different opinions so I don't waste my time trying to convey my thoughts.  I never get influenced by these posts because most of them are biased.  My question is, how do politcal candidates take advantage of this?  

I think that it is a good thing that people have the opportunity to share their opinioins and voice their concerns through social media. Even if they never admit to being wrong during an argument, at least they are hearing another side to the story and hopfully understanding that different things affect others differently. But, I also think that too many people are posting their political opinions with little to no knowledge of the facts behind the issue. These people are not good for social media because they are giving the wrong impression of politics to others on social media who do not keep up with politics. 

I never post my post my political views on social media. 1. becuase I never post anything on social media to begin with and 2. My political opinions are my own opinions and I know many people would not agree with them and I dont have time to argue with someone who will never change their political opinions.

I have a few friends who reguarly post their opinions on Facebook and Twitter, their comments are usually met by opposers who try to make the poster admit they are wrong. The poster will always come up with some long response with the end result bring that no one changes their opinions on anything, they just get mad at each other and claim the other to be ignorant. These posts very rarely influence me because both sides just end up seeming like fighting children which makes me believe that both of their "facts" are not substaincial enough for me to choose a side. I would never argue back because I have no interest in getting into a fight over social media that anyone I am friends with could see. 

This whole election has become more about digging up secrets and telling lies than it has been about policies. In my opinion, people are free to voice what they think and feel and it should not influence your choices. I do not personally post my political views, but many people in my network do. It does not influence my opinions because I already have opinions based off content and not based on what or how other people feel. I mostly just ignore every fact about this election and hope Trump finds another job other than being president. 

In my opinion, social is kind of important for people's poltical opinion. There are many people who really cares about the poltical, however, there are still some people how didn't really know about the poltical issue. In this case, the social media plays an important role in educating people, and it might be possible people's poltical opinion can be swayed by the media. In my case, I usually get the poltical news from TV, or newspapers. And I hardly ever use the social media such as Facebook, Instgram and so on. Therefore, I don't really post my views online. However, I do view my firends profile somtimes and look at the view that they post. Sometimes, I agree with their opinion and sometimes I don't. I will take with them under their post for the one that I really agree with and like.

Because social media is such a public platform, it is significantly more difficult for users to admit "I'm wrong" than when in a conversation with one or two people. Because of this, I have never seen an argument persuade someone to change their mind, or change someone's opinion on a matter. Especially a politics-related matter. I don't typically voice my political opinions on social media, however, because of my stance/voting preference this election, I have found it easy to post memes or videos that mock the opposing candidate. This being said, I refuse to engage with anybody that does not rationally or politely voice their opinion on my post. Some people comment on posts simply to get a rise out of people - but it never truly makes an impact. At this point, our minds are made up, I don't think anybody is going to be pursuaded to vote for a different party. 

Not only my Facebook but my Twitter and surprisingly Instagram are full of poltical memes about the candidates and people barrating other people for having their own opinions. I find it highly annoying and tend to stay away from social media on debate nights. I honestly don't think anything that I have seen or read will sway my opinion because I don't see it coming form a credible source. I feel like some people just bully other people on social media for stating their opinion then continue to shove their own opinion down everyone's throat. I find that this is the worst time to do anyting on social media because I, like most people I know, stay off social media during election times because it is that annoying. 

My newsfeeds on multiple social networks are full of political opinions. I believe there are both positives and negatives for using social media platforms to express your political views. For example, someone's post on social media may expose others to a perspective they had not thought of or information that is new to them. But on the downside, some information presented on social media may not be reliable. I do not post my political views on social media nor do I plan to in the future, though many people in my network do. Viewing these political posts do have the ability to influence my opinions but it just depends on what it is. When I see a post I disagree with I refrain from sharing my opinion and often times just ignore it to avoid conflict. I also don't feel educated enough when it comes to politics to have a good argument. 

I think that if someone is very passionate about politics, they should be able to share their opinions in a positive, informative way without babbling on about how horrible one of the candidates is. Odds are people will not respond to that negativity and you will just look a bit crazy to your social media followers. With this year’s election especially, I am seeing an enormous amount of political favoritism on social media and I am quite sick of it. I like to keep up with politics, but the hateful and one-sided arguments posted for everyone to see are a bit overwhelming. I think we should be able to have our own opinions and vote for who we believe will run this country in favor of its people and needs like civil Americans. Of course, social media platforms are incredibly vital to campaigns today. It is where most Americans get their information. But once it gets to the point of posting hateful messages that is where I draw the line. I think people should do their own research and for the most part, unless sending a positive message, should keep their opinions to themselves.

I do not post my political opinion on my social platform because I do not think it is a smart method to spread own view. First, I do not think my political is mature due to lacking of political acknowledge. None of my family members’ work is related to the politics, besides, I never have political related intern. So, I have no idea about this area. Some of my friends do post their views on social media, I never judge about those because I have no evidence to support or refute. Basically, they cannot influence me at all.

I think that social media being used for political opinion is a good idea if you're the type of person who is willing to have others disagree with you. I personally don't post my views but I have seen multiple people in my network post about, and get into arguments with people about their political views on social media. I have never participated in these arguments myself, I just ignore it and don't comment on any political posts.

Personally,  i never use the social media to pulish my own opinion for political opinion, but i will repost some interesting thing about the presidential election such as the carton of the presidential election... but i always find someone in my network pulish their opinion about presidential election or national policy, i am neutral on this thing, social media has the great power and the significative opinion will be used, i am not too interested in the politics, but if there is something that we can make it better through using the social media, that will be great. 

I do not mind people sharing their opinions on social media platforms, this is a major reason these applications were created. The only thing that bothers me is people posting things as if they are not their opinion, and it is just a fact. As you said, many of these people do not attach evidence with their statement(s) which makes them look even more ignorant. I personally do not post any political opionions just because it never leads to anything good. Many times, people disagree strongly with a political stance someone posts and an uncivilzed argument ensues. I have seen instances of people who are close friends get in a heated argument and personal shots are taken. I find myself staying off social media these days just because people who know nothing about politics are constantly posting like they do.

Here is my Facebook post from a few days ago: "I don't mind reading something political once in a while to educate myself on different views, but without naming names, maybe 50+ political posts in a two day span might be a little excessive? I encourage everyone to read and stay informed, but when you go to share remember that less is more. Share what you feel best represents your thoughts and could have an impact on the political education of the friends in your feeds." I like to read CREDIBLE posts to inform myself, but too many people make excessive posts that are slanderous. I stopped posting my exact views because people don't change their minds much. I am almost apt to view a side negatively when people post so many bad articles and engage in arguments where they dive into personal attacks instead of intelligent debate. It's a shame, because I used to be able to have great discussions where the purpose was to inform others and also learn myself, but this election cycle leaves no room for that. Is there a way to find out if all of these spam articles have an influence on people?

Especially in the last couple of months, I have noticed an increasing amount of posts regarding the election. What I have noticed for this election, however, is the amount of posts not necessarily about the candidates and their political views, but dramatic stories about their ethic and who they are outside of politics. I have seen more posts from people justifying why they are voting for one candidate because of what the other did, rather than posts supporting their chosen candidate. I do not personally post my political views on any social media for multipe reasons. First, I don't really care to start arguments (even opinion based) over something not everyone will agree on. Ever. Second, I don't believe it is necessary to compose a huge message to inform others of my views and opinion, as I know I will not personally change anyone else's view. I do have friends on Facebook who are continuously posting about the election, many of those posts starting with, "I don't usually do this, but...". I don't find that these posts influence my opinion in any way, as I usually dont even read these. I do, however, find that these posts cause many heated discussions among people that never seem to get resolved. In my opinion, if you want to share your thoughts, go ahead, I will not be reading them.

I often become curious with political opinions clogging my newsfeeds. It doesn’t matter what platform, my friends and followers don’t discriminate and work to ensure that everyone on every level of social media hears them. I am definitely not one to post my political opinion anywhere. I feel like we all have our own individuals reasons for our opinions, maybe its our upbringing and home life, or our parents, but everyone see’s the election a little differently. So it’s completely personal and subjective. I don’t mind when people post on my feed. When I digest other people’s words and opinions, I feel as if it makes me a more open minded and well-rounded individual, especially in my political knowledge.  

People on the social media share their opinion toward the president election, however, people do not really each other on the social media and they can talk bad or even dirty on the internet which i think its not appropriate. No one know you does not mean you can talk whatever you want on the social media, I think People should have their own moral criterion and talk appropriate on the internet. 

Personally I do not agree with the posting of political views on social media. Like you mentioned, previously political preferences were discussed between close family and friends behind closed doors. I still believe this is the way politics should be discussed in a house hold. I do not, have not and will not post my political views because I do not believe that my opinion needs to be known and heard by others and nor do I need to change the opinion of my peers and the people who surround me. People make opinions based off their beliefs, practices and cultures, therefore my opinion is not going to change that based on a post on facebook. I do however have several friends and family members who do actively post about the policitians and their parities. I also know several people who have a tendency to become rude, agressive and overly opinionated when it comes to posting their views. My take on social media and the posting in regards to politics, politician and political parties is to continue to ignore and not engage in arguments and posts that will do myself and others, no good in involving myself in. My political views will remain my own, because no one else needs to see. I do however, would like to know, if there are any stats on the effects that social media posting has on the political parties? Is there any way to obtain this information that anyone knows off? 

With the rapid development of Internet technology fast, a huge number of Internet users, and the popularity of social networks makes citizens get more political participation, which will tend to produce or change the political cause potential interference.Many people began to resent the problem is too frequently in the social network: politics or in the political issue in the update of the others to make a negative comment or a partisan political post harassment common friends. A lot of political bias errors may lead to misleading social impact. Different political views can also lead to the heated debate on the internet political speech. Which is full of personal attacks or sleaze. So the message or political views of any one of the social networking sites will have a big impact, and people must learn to control their actions and emotions.

There are too many people on social media who share an uninformed opinions/information, and this is why I try to stay away from it. On many occasions you will find someone sharing inaccurate information, and it will get thousands of shares. If the orignial user just did a little research, they would find the information they are sharing with people is false. Instead, some use social media as their only news source, and will believe anything they see and share it, contributing to the problem. When I see something I disagree with or dislike, I do not post anything. I usually keep my opinions to myself and don't argue when it comes to anything political because anything you say can be deemed controversial and someone will try starting an argument. Some things on Social media do change my views, but I will do research on whatever I found to make sure that the information recieved is accurate. 

Social media allows everyone to have a soapbox of equal height. Because of this, most opinions fade into white noise due to hundreds of other opinions being thrown out at the same time. For the opinions that garner responses, it's pretty interesting to read how angry people become over someone else's opinion. I think part of this is due to the veil the Internet gives us and how quickly we forget there's a person on the other side of the computer screen. Personally, I think it's pretty dumb to air your dirty laundry on social media, but I think it's equally as dumb to attack people who do. Having a healthy discussion is fine, but that rarely occurs. I've also rarely had my personal beliefs swayed by opinion posts written by people within my social networks, but articles and news sources shared by them have influenced my beliefs from time to time. I think part of it is the validity of the source of information, and I trust a national news opinion piece more than I trust my high school classmate's.

Using social media to spread one's political views, unless well informed, drives me crazy. It reminds me of the boy who cried wolf, people who don't actually look into issues besides what they see on social media are dangerous. In the sense that they will spread it, almost like a rumor. I tend to avoid posting my views, at least about candidate specific things. Sometimes I do post informative videos about other things that matter to me, like gender equality videos, or a video about education opportunities for underfunded schools. Generally, I try to make my posts informative and won't post my personal opinion along with them. For example, I posted a video of an unbiased analysis of the tax plans of the candidates, without listing my opinion. However, my feeds are just filled with people posting opinions and fake videos or articles. For the most part, they have no effect on me, unless they are real facts. Overall, I do not argue with people. I just keep scrolling and ignore it. 

I love this topic of conversation because WOW has politics taken over Facebook. First off it scares me because the amount of propoganda and false information that is shared about candidates and this election on Facebook is extremely misleading and unfortunately will probably sway a lot of users opinons. When it comes to people discussing their political opinions on Facebook, I can't say I have always liked what I have seen but that isn't always the case. There have been a handful of political opinions from some of my facebook friends that are supported with reliable sources and information. I personally would never post my views on particular things because I think that automatically categorizes you onto a certian side. But, I am more than open to talk about my views in person. I think that it is much better to discuss politics that way rather than online because people are then able to make assumptions about you and won't take the time to ask you more about why you feel that way because you can only pack so much into a facebook status. 

I often see different political views on social media. This upcoming election has taken over social media and is virtually inescapable online. Everyone has the right to voice their political opinion. Some feel the need to comment and make their opinions public. It is very useful to communicate with others.

I am not a fan of the recent trend of social media, particularly Facebook, being used as a place to discuss political views. I personally have many friends on Facebook that I don't actually talk to on a regular basis — and probably haven't for years — so the thought that I should openly discuss what I believe in to them does not all together make sense to me. I see many postings like this and I tend to ignore them all. I rarely get in conversations with my friends and family about politics and therefore would never do it online. However, I can see how people who have a strong opinion would want to go online to talk about it. They get to hide behind a screen. Personally, I don't think political views should be allowed to be voiced on social media. If this were to happen (and I know it's a long shot), what do you think the outcome would be? Favorable or unfavorable?

I go on Facebook simply for the videos that people share. Some of them are political and when I see one that I agree with I will share it on my feed, but in no way do I advertise my affiliation with a certain party because I think it would just add on to the craziness of this election year. People are now using social media to express their views while still hiding behind a computer screen and the tone that some people use can be misunderstood causing an even bigger issue between friends. While some feel the need to comment and make their opinions public I like to keep mine to myself and ignore those that I don't agree with. However, I do wonder and ask why some people like to argue using social media?

This upcoming election has taken over social media and is virtually inescapable online.  Every day when I open social media there is a new video, post, or caption mentioning politics or a political canidate. What is hard to endure is that most people who post don't have facts to back it up or they won't listen to anyone elses opinion which creates online arguments. I never post my views and rarely like political posts just because I don't have a strong affinity for either canidate this election. Some people almost go to far supporting a canidate that it becomes aggressive like they are shoving their opinions down your throat when you didn't ask for them in the first place. I think sometimes seeing videos and posts on Facebook can influence me slightly since it is new information at times that I hadn't heard before but most videos and posts are very biased so you can't trust them fully. I don't tend to argue online or share my views because I don't want to be that person that takes it too far like so many people are doing lately on social media platforms. Let's just say the election can't come soon enough... 

i not use fecabook very offen, and i will not post comments for firends new post, most time i just read what comments has post by others, but i do post photos and monments on wechart, a chinese social media, this is a good platform to post monments and photo or videos, show to your friends and family, then you cna exchange with other's thoughts, just like facebook, i think it is very useful, increase friendship , and have chance to commicate with others.

For my facebook feed, it very hard to locate any postings related to political view or opinion but when i do see them, i tend to simply ignore them. I personally do not even like the word politics so i never partake in any kind of discussions or engagements regarding any political issues. Moreover, i believe that postings related to politics on social media are essentially aimed at influencing peoples' political attitudes and attributions. And it suggests how unscrupulous politicians in contemporary politics with the help of social media can be so instrusive.

I do not agree on people posting their political mind through social media. I sometimes see few political related videos and pictures about how presidential candidates made poor statements about their opinions. Those kinds of posting can hurt other people and their belief.  Moreover, social media platform such as Facebook is not just for American. It is for everyone in the world. So, talking about the country’s politic is only shows negative side of one’s country. I believe sharing political mind in social media is not very effective. 

I do not like how social is used for political opinion. I never post my views on politics, or really anything, on social sites. People within my network share articles that agree with their opinion more than they just simply post their opinion. It never influences me and I just ignore it. I think people post their opinions on social as it is a much easier way to say what they believe. They don't have to back it up, they just find an article about it. Isn't buzzfeed credible enough? It gives people a outlet to share their voice/opinions without actually having to put work into it. I just end up ignoring it all.

I do not have a Facebook but I do see a lot of political posts on my Twitter feed. I believe that everyone has the right to voice their political opinion but social media is not the place to do it. It gets very annoying seeing everyone posting their political views. I DO NOT post my political views on social media. These posts do not influence me but I do believe that they have a strong impact on people. I do not waste my time arguing on social media websites as I see it as a waste of time. Who do you think has the better social media presence, Hillary or Trump?