ABSTRACT
This chapter elucidates research about use and influence of social media in electoral politics. It examines uses and gratifications approach as it applies to election politics on social media, and considers Twitter's particular importance, including dominant modes for making sense of Twitter in communication scholarship. The chapter explains NUVI and its usefulness for the methodological approach. Following that, our case study of the Ohio 2016 primary election illustrates how public conversation surrounding primary developed online. The chapter concludes with reflections about future of social media in political communication and the potential for social media analysis as an analytical tool for communication scholars and practitioners. It examines social media content regarding the 2016 presidential primary in Ohio should allow us to better understand role of social media in facilitating public discussion of the political process. The chapter extends past research by shifting the focus from candidate tweets to the broader conversation occurring around a political event on social media.
