The Twitter Election? New Perspectives on Agenda-Building during the 2016 Campaign

This dissertation examines agenda-building relationships during the 2016 U.S. general election campaign. Drawing on more than 5,500 news stories and 5,000 presidential campaign tweets, it reveals the directions and valence of influence among news media, candidates' tweets, and public opinion across seven issues on the campaign agenda. Filling gaps in the literature around political communication via social media, it offers a holistic view of the agenda-building process in the "Age of Twitter," and a sober look at Twitter's contribution to the election agenda.