Rural Conservatism Then and Now: How the rise of social media has influenced the degree of conservatism in rural areas of the United States

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2021-06-30
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en
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When thinking about rural areas in the United States, stereotypes such as Hillbillies and Rednecks often come to mind, as well as the idea that the degree of conservatism in these areas is considerably higher than in urban areas of the country. This thesis aims to find an answer to the question of how the rise of social media in the late 20th century has influenced the degree of rural conservatism in the United States. In order to achieve this, two time frames will be analyzed and compared to see whether the degree of rural conservatism has changed over the years. The first time frame that will be discussed, the post-Civil Rights era, is characterized by the development and rise of television in the American home. This made communication broader and less personal. The second time frame, the post-Cold War era, characterized by the rise of the internet and social media, made communication more personal, but that came with several implications such as news deserts and echo chambers. Taking into account these factors, it could be argued that the rise of social media did have an influence on the degree of rural conservatism in the United States; however, this degree did not drastically change. Keywords: rural, conservatism, United States, social media
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