Bossetta, Michael. “The Digital Architectures of Social Media: Comparing Political Campaigning on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat in the 2016 U.S. Election.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, vol. 95, no. 2, 2018, pp. 471–496., https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699018763307.
This article posts four aspects of a platform’s digital architecture that influence political communication on social media—network structure, functionality, algorithmic filtering, and datafication. Respectively, these four infrastructural elements of platform design affect the decisions that political campaigns make in terms of the audiences they try to reach, the form and content of messages they produce, the diffusion patterns of these messages, and how financial resources are allocated for digital campaigning on social media. It uses the data from the 2016 presidential campaigns to research the differences between social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. By comparing those platforms, the author found evidence of the positive relationship between popular candidates using facebook as a high complexity social media platform, and less popular candidates using instagram and snapchat to create a sense of intimacy. However, it finds little evidence that politicians would post different messages on different platforms to attract a particular audience. In fact, over 40% of the message is exactly the same cross-platform. Although the author agrees that platforms would use datafication to inform and analyze the potential interests of their users, political candidates didn’t use this function that much as people used to think. Another interesting point is, the data collection not only functions on social media but everything else. There is a huge difference in advertisements between newspapers, television, and social media. And although snapchat and instagram are not as popular compared to facebook and twitter, all the candidates in the 2016 election used them, which suggests that politics would use every possible resource to do the propaganda.
I would use this resource as a piece both for social media analyses and presidential campaigns involving social media. The clear analyses of how social media functions would help my presentation a lot. I would indicate why facebook is so useful as a tool for political propaganda, and why its characteristics determine it to become the most complex and widely used social media in the world. Moreover, with all the politicians trying all new social media, this trend clearly supports the claim that social media didn’t change politics, but politicians would use every possible new method to propagate themselves. With the functionality of social media, people can get the idea that social media made political campaigns “easier.” Data becomes more transparent, and politicians can either buy the users’ information, or override the information to make their posts or advertisements spread to more people.
Carter, D. P., & May, P. J. (2020). Making sense of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic response: A policy regime perspective. Administrative Theory & Praxis, 1–13. doi:10.1080/10841806.2020.1758991
This article looked through the pandemic with a policy regime perspective. It analyzed US actions throughout the pandemic and pointed out several reasons of why US was the lead in Covid cases. The author argues that the response was handicapped by several aspects: deficient political commitment and unclear goals, dysfunctional institutional dynamics—from bureaucratic silos to mismatched institutions, and inertia from partisan and economic interests. Moreover, it explained some inefficiencies in responding such as robust crisis response and fragmented arrangements.
I would use this part as an indirect evidence to reflect Trump’s leadership and policies. I would also use this to compare with policies in China and India. I would not only compare their efficiency, but analyze all the elements influencing them, especially the people’s trust or interest, and the political system.
Dikötter Frank. The Discourse of Race in Modern China. Oxford University Press, 2015.
Goossaert, V. (2005). The Concept of Religion in China and the West. Diogenes, 52(1), 13–20. doi:10.1177/0392192105050596
This article along with many other Chinese religion resources, were a general review of China’s policies toward religion. It discussed mostly about the so called “Freedom of religion”. And the history of religion in recent years. Chinese government derived from maxist’s ideology, which defines religion as the opium of people’s spirit. Falun Gong is a great example of defined evil cult that has been expelled from China. There are also more information that from my own experience in China.
I will talk about those materials in the section of China’s religion. I would also use this material to compare and contrast east and west view of religion. Especially on how people see “freedom of religion” based on culture. And therefore the influence of religion determined by people’s ideology.
Haynes, J. (2008). Religion and Foreign Policy Making in the USA, India and Iran: towards a research agenda. Third World Quarterly, 29(1), 143–165. doi:10.1080/01436590701739668
This article focuses on how religion in each country is able to influence some big foreign policy decisions with their “soft” power. It says religion has soft power, which means they existed in values, cultures and many untouchable things. They couldn’t united together to enforce something like a government, but they represent part of people’s will, and can influence much domestic policies and foreign policies. For example, America evangelical group were constantly pursuing the abolising or abortion internationally. While they were successful in Texas, they also influence US foreign policy. Even in 21st century, religion were still seeking more influence for themselves. A famous exmaple of foerign policy is the hostility between Christianity and Muslim. In those events, religion’s soft power would gradually become hard power, and cause some real world problems.
I would use this piece as a conclusion of the relationship between religion and its influence in culture. Especially the idea of soft power and hard power. I would also use this piece for the section of religion in US. The are that religion influenced US the most is foreign policy, and I would like to address this point using this piece of evidence.
Jordan, Kayla N., et al. “Examining Long-Term Trends in Politics and Culture through Language of Political Leaders and Cultural Institutions.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 26 Feb. 2019, https://www.pnas.org/content/116/9/3476.
This article discusses the rationale behind Trump’s success. Through the analysis of presidential speeches and articles, authors discovered a trend of using less analytic thinking words and more clout words, which directly related to confidence. However, it failed to find out the link between cultural shifts and presidential election speaking trends. The author analyzed democratic countries like the UK, Australia, and Canada and found similar trends, but this research cannot be applied to a global community. It is still valuable, by suggesting this trend and posting possible causes like increasing societal complexity, the advent of technology, and rise of populism.
I will use the part that proves democratic English-speaking countries have a trend to elect more confident leaders. And I will explain what I mean by more confident, and present the analytic word and clout word to the audience. I will also look into the aspects of technology and culture to further investigate the relationship.
Kreiss, D., & Mcgregor, S. C. (2017). Technology firms shape political communication: The
work of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Google with campaigns during the 2016 U.S.
presidential cycle. Political Communication. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/10
584609.2017.1364814
This article discusses the underrated function of technology firms in the 2016 U.S. presidential cycle. It specifically introduces how each technology firms use their most advanced technology to support political leaders. It focused on RNC and illustrated why there is a political stance of each technology firm. Some similarities between those technology firms were providing individual space for internet broadcasting, hanging advertisements in RNC, and making advertisement strategies on different social media platforms. This article suggests that there wasn’t a system of cooperation between political leaders and technology firms until 2012. The article also analyzes the reasons why Donald Trump won the election. Donald Trump spent 50% of his advertisement expenditure on digital, and treat the technology firms as consultants. While Hilary Clinton treated technology firms more like vendors rather than consultants.
I would use this piece of evidence to illustrate the relationship between social media and the presidential election. And explain one of the reasons Donald Trump won the election. Technology firm now has the ability to target a certain group of people and sent out appropriate propaganda to change their mind. Trump is short in every aspect compared to Hilary, but he invested so much in social media, on Facebook. RNC and Trump’s team cited the important role Facebook played in this election.
Mastracci, Sharon, and Ian Adams. “Is Emotional Labor Easier in Collectivist or Individualist Cultures? an East–West Comparison.” Public Personnel Management, vol. 48, no. 3, 2018, pp. 325–344., https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026018814569.
This article demonstrated a series of experiments on how collectivist culture and individualist culture react to emotional labors. Authors used China, Korea, Taiwan, The United States, and the United Kingdom as 5 subjects for research. They found empirical evidence that collectivist cultures has less emotional labor than individualist cultures. This phenomenon is mostly derived from the cultural differences. The predominance of harmony and interdependence in collectivist cultures largely lessen the stress of emotional labor. It also talked about how beneficial in companies are to emphasis the collective society we are in to lessen the emotional labor.
I would use this piece to compare the eastern and western culture, and points out some huge differences between those three countries. I would also suggests the possible leader for collectivist and individualistic leaders. I would also connect those traits with the history of the country, and suggests the relationship between each culture and their religion.
Mitra, S. K. (1991). Desecularising the State: Religion and Politics in India after Independence. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 33(04), 755. doi:10.1017/s001041750001731x
This article talks about the history of India and Religion and Politics influence each other in india after Independence. The surprising part is it thoroughly categorizes the type of religion-government cooperation world wide. It emphasized the triadic relationship between religion, society and State. It also categorizes the relationship between religion and state in to four types: hegemonic, theocratic, secular, and neutral. American falls into the secular category. India, before independence, was neutral. Which means there’s no official religion of the country, but the social framework was determined by the religion, and almost all people were practicing hinduism. With the western officials governing India, it would eventually turn india into a secular states. Which means the state was not function as the religion, but as the state. Only the personal bonds of religion existed. But with the independence of india, hinduism binded to “nationalism”(especially during Modi’s time), and things become complicated.
I would use this source in the introduction of my religion section. It introduces some fundamental facts about religion. I would of course use it during the India section of religion. It clearly explains the complex dynamic of religion in modern India.
One child nation
This film honestly recorded the truth of the one-child policy implemented by the Chinese government. It filmed people who are good people, but wouldn’t go against Chinese government. People who agreed with the ideology of the “group” is more important than “individuals” agreed with the one child policy, since it made the China’s life better. But others disagree with the policy. The producer’s husband found things wrong when he saw an abandoned child in the garbage heap under a bridge. This film review and reflects if doing so much inhuman things and deteriorate much families is worth for the future development of the country. The film further reveals from shocking facts in China. Because china at that time values boy much more than girl. People would abandon the girl baby, so they can try again to have a boy baby while not breaking the one child policy. Those abandoned child were then sent to wellfare house with about 1000 yuan paid. The welfare house then would made fake information about these child, like they were abandoned by their parents right in front of welfare house, so they are able to “sell” those children to the US for people who want to adopt a child.
I would use this piece as an evidence for the ruling style of traditional Chinese leaders. This is also a good piece in which demonstrate the culture of Chinese people, the obedience
Xue, E., Li, J., Li, T., & Shang, W. (2020). How China’s education responses to COVID-19: A perspective of policy analysis. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 1–13. doi:10.1080/00131857.2020.1793653
This article examines the China’s department of education’s series of policies during the Covid period. The characteristics and experience of China’s education policy in response to the epidemic concentrate on forming a governance system under the centralized and unified leadership of the Communist Party of China, building a pattern in which families and schools cooperate closely to promote the smooth development of education and teaching, transforming from an emergency substitute during the crisis into an important motivation to promote the transformation of education paradigm, and paying great attention to remote and poor areas and disadvantaged student groups.
I would use this piece to demonstrate how the so-called online class looks like in China, and China’s policy under CCP’s control. It also demonstrate the close relationship between each department of china and its central government. Since all people in FVS experienced the online class in US, pulling China’s education policy up would be a good comparison adding to the Covid-19 policy comparison between US and China.
Yang Zhong (2014) Do Chinese People Trust Their Local Government, and
Why?, Problems of Post-Communism, 61:3, 31-44, DOI: 10.2753/PPC1075-8216610303
This research thoroughly discusses an experiment conducted in China, 2012. It is one of the few resources that collect evidence of Chinese people’s opinion toward their government, which is very rare in authoritarian country. This article also discussed the reasons of people’s trust, and why chinese government put the stability and people’s trust of the society in the first place. The analysis combined economic, cultural, and history elements together to demonstrate these points. It also included other countries’ data for comparison.
This is an interesting but important piece of evidence. I would use this “survey conducted in China” to analyze the elements influence Chinese people’s opinion toward their government. And reasons of why the government rules the country like this, and discuss possible outcomes like tian anmen square protest. I would also use this article as an outline to discuss how economic, cultural and historical elements influence CCP’s decisions.