In retrospect of the midterm elections, UNC election experts shared their observations on the role of social media and polarizing rhetoric in the upcoming election season.
Marc Hetherington, UNC professor of political science, said political divisions have caused parties to use dehumanizing language. He said parties see each other now as rivals, which causes the party not in power to root for the country to fail.
“Just like Carolina fans might be rooting for Duke to make a mistake, we're rooting for the country to make a mistake,” he said.
Hetherington said these divides are caused by feelings, not necessarily issues, and most Americans are actually in the middle of ideologies. The big issues that citizens divide themselves on, he said, are related to racial and ethnic identities, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights.
He said the emotional aspect is what makes it hard for people to understand why others believe differently from them. It also forces people to think of the opposite political party as their most hated rival, he said.
No cure will fix this divide, he said, but people need to know parties are going to continue to do what they're doing, as long as it serves their interests. He also said change needs to come from generational changes, by bringing into office new people who are not jaded by old fights.
Shannon McGregor, an associate professor of journalism and media, has studied how campaigns use social media for over ten years. She said social media is a tool that political campaigns can use to get data about their constituents and mobilize voters.
“If you looked at any campaigns on different social media, they're going to be reminding you that today is primary day, if you're in North Carolina, and directing you to vote and help other people vote," she said.
She said journalists can use politicians’ social media accounts to hear directly about their stances on issues and it is a way to understand what candidates are doing and saying.
