The 2020 United States presidential election was a pivotal moment, marked by a global pandemic, economic turmoil, and civil unrest. Amid these challenges, citizen engagement surged, driving record media ratings and the highest voter turnout since 1900. This book examines how these events reshaped political communication and the impact of social and cultural divides on the electoral process. Through an analysis of digital and social media's role in political discourse, the book explores how platforms like X/Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok altered civic engagement, influencing voter behavior...

In this groundbreaking study, Misinformation Finds Them unearths how the perceived threat of misinformation effects on other people is just as potent -if not more so - than the actual impact that hybrid media systems have on democracy and community in the heartland. Here, it is not that rural Americans are particularly vulnerable to misinformation; they are highly active media consumers, but they generally rely on news to "find me" rather than actively critically engaging with a diverse set of sources. This passive News Finds Me approach to media engagement, coupled with...