# How Effective is Social Media, Really?

John Haskell and Todd Belt discussed the practical advantages and drawbacks of various social media strategies for interactions between constituents and politicians. Belt's research looks at how "fake news," memes and other social media tactics reinforce partisan predispositions rather than stimulate critical thinking about candidates and their policy proposals. According to Belt's research, misinformation promulgated through newspapers has long been a feature of U.S. presidential electoral politics. However, he asserts that the digital revolution has permitted the spread of misinformation to reach epidemic proportions, resulting in a crisis for the current democracy that may not be easily solved given America's constitutional protections. Belt evaluates these questions and concerns by drawing upon the Library of Congress U.S. Elections Web Archive, Meme Database and ProQuest Archives, which are all free and accessible via the Library's website.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2017
- By: Library Of Congress
- Genres: Education, Science, News
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021690711/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021690711?play=1)