How Persona Plays into our Political Thinking
PANEL DISCUSSION presented by Thomas P. Miller, Department of English with Kate Kenski, Department of Communication, School of Government & Public Policy and Kevin Coe, Department of Communication
Is perception reality in politics? Wouldn’t it be refreshing if politics were about substance—about ideas and facts and not about appeals to emotion and attacks on character? In recent years, there has been a rise in polarization across the citizenry. The fragmented media environment has led to a change in campaign strategies whereby candidates microtarget citizens with much greater precision than ever before. Unless we are part of a targeted group, we seldom know what strategies have been used to help form our opinions about candidates. As we strive to understand the personalities of the people who represent us, moral and ethical matters count for more than we might care to admit. Join us for an unbiased talk about current political language and the strategies used to gain your attention across all party lines.
