Boomers versus Millennials: Online Media Influence on Media Performance and Candidate Evaluations

Terri Towner and Caroline Lego Munoz
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Terri Towner: Department of Political Science, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
Caroline Lego Munoz: Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA

Social Sciences, 2016, vol. 5, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Facebook posts, YouTube videos, tweets and wooing political bloggers have become standard practice in marketing political campaigns. Research has demonstrated the effect of new media on a host of politically-related behavior, including political participation, knowledge acquisition, group formation and self-efficacy. Yet, issues related to media trust, media performance and candidate evaluations have not been fully explored. In addition, much of the political marketing research looks exclusively at the Millennial age cohort, ignoring other age groups, particularly Baby Boomers. This case study addresses whether attention to traditional (i.e., television, hard-copy newspapers and radio) and online media sources (i.e., political candidate websites, television network websites, online newspapers, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and political blogs) about the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign influences Millennials and Baby Boomers’ media trust and performance ratings, as well as candidate evaluations. Panel surveys were completed by both age cohorts, Millennials ( n = 431) and Baby Boomers ( n = 360), during the last two weeks of the presidential election. Findings indicate that traditional sources, specifically television, rather than online sources are significantly linked to media trust and performance ratings among both Boomers and Millennials. Attention to traditional media for campaign information predicts Boomers’ candidate evaluations, whereas Millennials’ candidate evaluations are influenced by online sources, such as Facebook and candidate websites.

Keywords: Baby Boomers; Millennials; age cohorts; 2012 U.S. presidential election; social media; media trust; media performance; candidate evaluation; Facebook; Twitter (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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