Evaluate The View That Social Media Is

Now More Important Than Traditional

Forms Of Media In Politics. (30) -
Politics Explained Essay Plan
Topic ➡ 4. Voting Behaviour and The Media
Structure ➡ Three paragraphs with for/against and an overall judgement within each
This Essay Plan Is Part Of A Package Of Essay Plans Covering The UK Politics Part Of The
Politics A Level Course For AQA, Edexcel and OCR Exam Boards. It Can Be Purchased Here ➡
https://www.politicsexplained.co.uk/
Keep In Mind ➡ These are long plans as they’re intended to be revised from to cover the key
content you need to know for the exam. In the exam, you would need to adapt them for the
specific question you are asked and you certainly wouldn’t need to include everything, especially
not all of the examples. The judgements are also subjective and you don’t have to agree with
them!

Introduction
Key Definitions
‘Traditional Media’ is taken to mean 3 key types of media other than social media that have an
influence on politics in the UK: opinion polls, newspapers and TV & the radio.

Paragraph One ➡ Social Media vs Newspapers

For: Social Media Is More Important Than Traditional Forms Of Media
The internet and social media are central to how younger voters consume political information and
shape their political views. Parties and MPs focus a great deal on trying to influence the views of
voters on social media.

A survey on the eve of the 2015 election indicated that 79% of 18-24 Year Olds relied almost
totally on online sources to inform themselves, while 59% depended on social media to discover

Evaluate The View That Social Media Is Now More Important Than Traditional Forms Of Media In Politics. (30) -
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Politics Explained Essay Plan
 others' opinions on politics.

Social media can therefore be seen as more important than traditional forms of media, as voters
increasingly consume political information through social media.

Social media can also enable scandals and gaffes to go viral during election campaigns.

In 2019, significant viral events were Jacob Rees Mogg’s comments on the Grenfell fire which
were condemned by many and coverage of a boy with pneumonia who had to sleep on the floor
of a hospital. This being said, the Conservatives still comfortably won the election.

Finally, targeted advertising on social media is highly important to how parties try to reach voters and
win support during election campaigns.

According to WhoTargetsMe, Labour spent over £1.4M on FaceBook advertising in the 2019
election, with the Tories and Lib Dems both spending about £900,000.

This kind of targeted advertising to particular, important demographics is impossible with

traditional forms of media and allows parties to reach voters who traditionally wouldn’t vote for
them and therefore wouldn’t read newspapers who support them.

Against: Traditional Forms Of Media Are More Important Than Social Media
On the other hand, the press can be argued to still be more important than social media in influencing
politics.

Around 7 million people read newspapers daily in the UK, which is a key source of political
information and views, particularly for older voters who are more likely to vote and less likely to use
social media.

The general public claimed newspapers had more influence than social media over their voting
choices in 2017; 32% vs 26%.

As newspapers present a biased view, newspapers can be seen to have a big impact changing
people’s opinions and influencing how they vote. The Conservatives, who have won the last 4
elections, have done so with the support of the majority of the press.

The top two newspapers (Sun with 1.8M daily circulation and Mail with 1.6M circulation) have
backed the Cons in the last 3 elections. The third (Mirror) backed Labour but only has a daily
circulation of 809,000.

After the 1992 election, in which their editorial on the day of the election was Neil Kinnock's head
in a lightbulb with the caption 'If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please
turn out the lights.', the Sun celebrated with the headline 'It's the Sun wot won it.'

A lot of the political coverage on social media and the internet is dominated by traditional forms of
media, with journalists using twitter in particular to report political news and many print newspapers
having popular online sites.

Judgement
Social media is without doubt becoming increasingly influential in UK politics and is certainly more
important than traditional forms of media for younger voters.

Overall, however, the press is still more important than social media at present, not only because
older people consume most of their political information from newspapers and they are more likely to
vote, but also because journalists play a key role in political coverage on social media.

➡
Evaluate The View That Social Media Is Now More Important Than Traditional Forms Of Media In Politics. (30) -
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Politics Explained Essay Plan
 Paragraph Two ➡ TV & Radio vs Social Media
Against: Traditional Forms Of Media Are More Important Than Social Media
TV can be seen as important in how it projects visual images, helping voters to form an impression of
party leaders.

For example, a lot of the negative coverage of Corbyn focused on his personality and ‘scruffy’
appearance rather than his policies.

TV debates and interviews can be seen as important at election times in shaping the views of voters.

In 2017, Theresa May refusing to take part in a head on head TV debate with Corbyn made her
look weak in the eyes of voters and contributed to her unpopularity.

Between elections, TV and radio interviews with key politicians can be highly important in holding
them to account and shaping the views of voters.

Newsnight, for example, often exposes government or opposition failures, such as how COVID
was transmitted to care homes and of antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn.

A series of disastrous local radio interviews were important in exposing the failure of Liz Truss’
economic policies and showing her unpopularity with the public, consequently playing a part in
her resignation soon after.

A survey in the run up to the 2015 election found that 62% cited television as the strongest influence
in helping them form an opinion, while only 25% put papers first.

For: Social Media Is More Important Than Traditional Forms Of Media

Whilst TV and the radio are certainly important, it is arguably social media that allows these traditional
forms of media to have a wider impact on politics in the UK.

Clips from TV and the radio often go viral on social media, allowing them to have a much wider
reach and impact on the beliefs and views of a greater number of voters.

Clips of Liz Truss’ local radio interviews, for example, were viewed by millions on social media.

The same is true of clips from Prime Minister’s Questions, which politicians and parties
themselves often share notable clips from.

Further, unlike TV and the radio which has to be politically neutral, social media allows voters to put
forward their political opinions and try and sway others, therefore potentially having more impact.

Judgement
Overall, TV and the radio are certainly important, however social media is more important, not only
because it doesn’t have to be political neutral, but also because it increases the reach and impact of
TV and the radio, through clips going viral.

Paragraph Three ➡ Opinion Polls vs Social Media

Against: Traditional Forms Of Media Are More Important Than Social Media
Opinion polls can have an important influence on elections by influencing turnout and voting
behaviour, particularly tactical voting.

Turnout is more likely to be higher if opinion polls indicate that the election will be close.

Evaluate The View That Social Media Is Now More Important Than Traditional Forms Of Media In Politics. (30) -
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Politics Explained Essay Plan
 This can be seen in the 2015 election and in Brexit, both of which had relatively high turnouts.

If an election seems decided, people may be convinced they can not turnout or use their vote in
protest safe in the knowledge that it is unlikely to affect the result.

There is a strong argument that this is what happened in 2017, contributing to Jeremy
Corbyn’s increase in support.

Opinion polls can influence tactical voting by giving voters an indication of who is likely to win,
both nationally and in their area.

In 2015, the fact that opinion polls looked very close may have convinced many Liberal
Democrat supporters to switch to voting for the Conservatives to avoid a Labour victory.

Opinion polls can also be seen as important in shaping party policies.

For example, opinion polls showing significant sections of the UK public being opposed to trans
rights in 2022 likely played a role in key candidates in the Conservative Party leadership elections
being opposed to trans rights.

For: Social Media Is More Important Than Traditional Forms Of Media

On the other hand, the significance of opinion polls can be overstated. Whilst they are focused on and
debated a great deal by those interested in politics, the majority of voters arguably pay little attention
to opinion polling.

Further, when opinion polls do reach voters, it is often through social media.

Judgement
Overall, opinion polls do have some impact on election results, but this impact is often overstated as a
limited portion of the population pays attention to them, whilst their influence is also dependent on
social media. Social media is therefore more important than opinion polls in politics.

Overall Argument
In conclusion, social media is without doubt becoming increasingly important in UK politics and will
soon be more important than traditional forms of media, as social media has a big impact on the
voting behaviour and political views of younger voters in particular.

Whilst social media is important in allowing traditional forms of media to reach a wider audience, at
present traditional forms of media remain more important in UK politics than social media. This is in
large part because newspapers and the TV are key to how the majority of older voters, who are more
likely to vote, consume political information, whilst journalists also play an important role on social
media.

Other Possible Essay Questions To Practice

Adapting This Plan To Answer
Evaluate the view that newspapers are more important than social media in influencing voting
behaviour. (30)

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