2020 Hindsight: Politicization of Immigration
A Video Project Presenting the Prism of Bilingual Latino Student Perspectives During the 2016 Presidential Debates
In preparation for the 2020 presidential election this study provides insights into how news consumption on Immigration affected the voting behaviors of this highly coveted internet savvy and burgeoning demographic.
One of the key takeaways from this study found how, like most college students Bilingual Spanish speaking college students live extraordinarily busy lives atop of school responsibilities including attending class, completing assignments and studying for exams, these students work multiple part-time jobs, take care of their families along with maintaining a balanced social life.
The sum total of all these activities and responsibilities leaves little room for concentrated news consumption.
As a result, sound-bite driven, inflammatory statements with ‘breaking news’ tags tend to attract attention and the priority of news gathering among these students.
This study serves as a stepping stone to a) create a conversation on how an identified demographic consumed immigration news b) address how immigration news consumption shaped their perceptions of the candidates c) prepare for the midterm elections and 2020 presidential news cycles on immigration, by going into them with an increased understanding of social media perception, ‘fake news’ and the weaponizing of immigration as a political issue.
