Social media have become an increasingly important part of the election cycle as political candidates and citizens alike use digital platforms to voice their opinions and share information. In this talk, Dr. Lukito (Geneseo '13) will focus on an interconnected set of studies that examine discourse during the 2022 U.S. Midterm elections occurring on 11 different social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, 4Chan, Gab, Gettr, Truth Social, Telegram, and TikTok). These studies show that candidates are leveraging different platforms to communicate with different audiences, and also show the rise of alt-tech platforms as an alternative, digital space for conspiracies and election fraud discourse to flourish. In addition to discussing these findings, Dr. Lukito will also talk about the increasing use of computational methods in political communication research.

Josephine ("Jo") Lukito is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism and Media (in the Moody College of Communication).

For more information about Professor Lukito visit https://www.jlukito.com/