社交媒体对美国选举政治的影响

The Impact of Social Media on American Electoral Politics

近年来,社交媒体在美国社会生活中的影响力持续上升,并嵌入美国选举政治之中。社交媒体在技术手段、影响机制及适用的法规政策等方面都与传统媒介方式有着明显不同,因而呈现出对于选举政治的特殊影响。社交媒体信息未经过滤,在方便政治沟通的同时,也因其开放性给选举政治带来假新闻泛滥的隐患。社交媒体的"过滤泡"算法将具有相似意识形态的人聚拢在一起,更易造成"信息茧房",促进政治极化。社交媒体上"微目标"定位的政治广告缺乏透明度和监管,容易被利用来干扰美式民主的环境。作为平台性质的社交媒体本无政治偏好,但难免受到运营商主观因素的影响,从而给美国的选举政治带来一些不确定性。社交媒体对美国选举政治产生的影响有利有弊,如何有效管理社交媒体是美国社会面临的新课题。

The influence of social media continues to rise in American social life and has become embedded in American electoral politics in recent years.Social media obviously differs from traditional media in terms of technical means,influence mechanisms and applicable laws and policies,etc.,and thus it exerts a unique impact on electoral politics. Unfiltered social media information not only facilitates political communication but also poses the risk of fake news flooding electoral politics due to its openness. The "filter bubble"algorithm of social media pulls together people with similar ideologies,potentially leading to "information cocoons"and political polarization. The "microtargeted"political advertising on social media lacks transparency and supervision,which can easily be used to disrupt the American democratic environment. As a platform,social media has no political preference,but it is inevitably affected by subjective factors of the operators,thus bringing some uncertainties to election politics in the United States.Since the impacts of social media on American electoral politics have both advantages and disadvantages,how to effectively manage social media is a new issue facing American society.