Abstract
This presentation explores media depictions (including social media) of South American immigration in the 2000s in the United States and its effects on public opinion and policy. There is a distinct connection between these three entities, with the circulation of media content causing changes in public opinion, which then in turn affects law and policy. The rapid rise of social media in the 21st century has made the spread of information exponentially faster and easier, thus contributing to this cycle of cause and effect. When investigating the information available on networking sites and the original accounts themselves, the impact of the dissemination of information and its effect on public opinion and policy is revealed. This information seems to be most widespread on Twitter, with the “retweet” function allowing for the rapid spread of ideas and the mobilization of movements. The extensive reach of news platforms is displayed in their hundreds of thousands of social media followers. Through an analysis of Tweets selected for their content regarding immigration policy, one can gain a view of public opinion in the United States. Additionally, a review of some of the most widespread content at its source highlights the possible negative impacts of the unchecked dispersal of racist narratives. The contents of these inflammatory posts are extremely significant, since the public derives many of their personal beliefs from the perspectives they are exposed to. The presence of anti-immigrant discourse on social media sites can then in turn result in shifts in lawmaking and public policy, allowing the spread of content on the internet to dictate the course of the nation. This presentation argues that the connection between media representation, public opinion, and public policy is crucial to the immigration debate as a whole, and is relevant to the lives of all immigrants and Americans.