I am planning on researching the ways that Representative Democracy has changed as a result of the increased presence of social media in the United States. What does Representative Democracy mean today, and how has it changed as a result of social media?

I will need to research 1) the history of Representative Democracy, 2) the original intention of Representative Democracy, 3) the turning point of social media use, 4) the role of social media in politics/how it has changed over time, 5) Donald Trump’s use of Twitter, 6) the meaning of Representative Democracy today/how it deviates from its original meaning

Key Words:

• Democracy
• Representative Democracy in the United States
• Social Media and Politics
• Social Media and Democracy
• Populism
• Donald Trump Twitter
• Voter Turnout 2016 elections
• Recent political trends

I will start my research process by going to the University of Richmond Library page and using the key words (above) to find any relevant journal articles, books/ebooks, documentaries, or news stories. Once I find relevant sources, I will look at the citations that these sources used, and then use these to dive deeper into the research process. I may also use google scholar, Jstor, or ask previous Political Science professors for help.