Social Media in American Public Policy (On the Example of the Social Network Twitter)

Abstract

Introduction. In the age of digitalization of the public space of communication, social media acts as a new channel of interaction between power and society. On the one hand, electronic forms of public communication formulate a political course and influence the political behavior of the electorate, and on the other hand, replace mass communication by a network. Twitter’s technological capabilities, being an electronic form of public communication, are addressed by representatives of the political elite in the USA. Methods and materials. The work uses network and communicative approaches, methods of situational analysis. The author addresses statistics and Twitter accounts of American politicians. Analysis. As a result of the computerization and the global spread of the Internet, social media has become an integral part of modern politics. The social network Twitter acts as a new communicative practice in the system of public administration of the USA. For President D. Trump, Twitter is an effective source and platform for presenting his position on domestic and foreign policy issues. Results. Twitter, being an interactive Internet platform based on the principles of network communication, is part of Twitter diplomacy implemented in the United States. The politicization of Twitter in the United States is targeted and ensures the interaction of the highest authorities and the electorate. Twitters functionality is used in modern American politics to shape the image characteristics of individual politicians and the country as a whole.