Study: Social Media Use Doesn't Increase Political Knowledge

Higher Ground Labs' latest thesis, fundraising shift continues

Advertising

Elon Musk reopened Twitter for political ad business. But is it too late?Politico.com"Advertisers can request verification to run political ads by submitting information via a Google Form. The company follows up with those who have submitted, with the process expected to take between two and four weeks, according to Twitter’s website. It is not clear how many campaigns have attempted to be verified so they can run ads."

Fundraising

My Principles for Online FundraisingMedium.com"One of the biggest myths when starting an online fundraising program is that raising money and building a relationship with donors are the same thing. Focusing attention solely on the former will likely result in more short terms gains but emphasizing the later will yield greater long-term returns. The reason for this is relatively simple: what raises the most money is often the most extreme messaging, the most aggressive tactics, and a willingness to guilt individuals into donating. This tactic is effective at getting an immediate initial donation, but over time, the donor is either desensitized to or begins to resent this 'strategy.'"

New Democratic digital firm wants to make candidate fundraising less annoyingPolitico.com"The trio pointed to a need for greater integration between digital fundraising and other components of a campaign. Email lists, Carroll noted, should be treated not as a “piggy bank” but a list of committed followers, who might appreciate campaign updates and news clips. Donors, he added, are people who campaigns need to think of as potential volunteers and eventual voters as well."

Social Media

Meta-Analysis: Social Media Does Little to Inform CitizensTechPolicy.Press"Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Eran Amsalem and University of Haifa’s Alon Zoizner looked at 76 studies that investigate 'the relationship between social media use and political knowledge,' which combined represent data gathered from 442,136 people. While a growing number of people report that they get news through social media sites, the results of the review 'reveal little evidence that people learn about politics on social media,' with an average effect of virtually zero across all the studies that is 'consistent across social media platforms, types of political knowledge, samples, countries, and periods.'"

The TikTok Gap Isn't About TikTokTheConnector.Substack.com"The big takeaway, though, is this: the knowledge gap of how to use TikTok for politics is a symptom of a generation gap in how we connect and communicate. The Cooperative Impact Team seems to get this, as they argue in the conclusion of their report that '"TikTok is not just about one platform — it’s about rethinking our entire relationship to persuasion and messaging.'"

  • Filling the Progressive TikTok Gap: Part 2 (Medium.com)

Technology

Progressive Tech Investors Want AI Offerings For CampaignsCampaignsAndElections.com"The incubator this week opened the application window for its 2023 accelerator cohort. Entrepreneurs accepted into the program receive things like mentoring, networking help and, of course, funding. In addition to HGL’s own investment, the incubator said it has helped participants 'raise $85 million after the accelerator.'"