Technology

Only 14 Percent Of US Adults Say Social Media Posts Changed Their Mind On An Issue: Pew

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Only 14 percent of U.S. adults say they have ever changed their mind on a political issue because of something they saw on social media.

A survey published Wednesday by Pew Research reveals social media’s mostly ineffective influence on Americans’ opinions on political issues and it’s unclear what issues they changed their views about.

The survey, conducted May 29 to June 11, shows that while 14 percent say something on social media changed their mind, young adult men aged 18-29 are the most likely to change their mind, with about a 29 percent showing.

Almost twice as many Democrats responded that they changed their mind because of something they saw on social media than Republicans, with 17 percent and 9 percent saying they have changed their mind, respectively.

About 11 percent of whites said they had changed their mind from something they saw on social media — that number is 19 percent for blacks and 22 percent for Hispanics.

Two percent more male respondents, 15 percent, said they had changed their mind about a political issue from social media than females.

The poll adds to more evidence that the Russian-bot theory perpetuated by Democrats that Russia used successfully convinced unsuspecting Americans to vote for Donald Trump, has less proof that the campaign worked.

Additionally, the Russians social media presence — as seen in the 3,500 ads promoting Russian-controlled Facebook pages released by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee on May 10 — aimed at dividing Americans over hot-bottom issues, rather than simply rally behind only Trump, since Russia created many pro-Trump and pro-Clinton accounts.

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