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Social Media Educates Voters? New Study on Twitter's Impact During 2015 UK Election

Descriptive Representation

Twitter Platform

2015 UK Election

Party Messaging

Political Knowledge and Misinformation in the Era of Social Media: Evidence from the 2015 U.K. Election was authored by Kevin Munger, Patrick J. Egan, Jonathan Nagler, Jonathan Ronen and Joshua Tucker. It was published by Cambridge in BJPS in 2022.

Original Title Faithful Revision

This study investigates how social media affects political knowledge during elections. Using panel data from voters surveyed throughout the 2015 UK general election campaign, we analyze their exposure to information via Twitter.

Our findings reveal a complex relationship between social media use and voter knowledge:

* Information Exposure

* Political news on Twitter increased factual political knowledge.

* Messages from political parties enhanced awareness of party platforms.

* Knowledge Manipulation Concerns

* Party messaging also influenced voters' perceptions, potentially distorting beliefs about the economy and immigration.

While overall political knowledge improved due to Twitter exposure, this research shows campaigns can strategically shape voter assessments. This nuanced understanding highlights how digital communication channels impact democratic processes.