1. Introduction
   1. Background
      1. What is democracy?
         1. Define democracy in broad terms
            1. Start at roots! Where was democracy first seen? Be very broad
            2. System of government in which citizens elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body or exercise their power directly
         2. Narrow in on Democracy in the United States
            1. What is representative democracy?
               1. History of representative democracy in the U.S.–> Framers
               2. Why did the framers believe that it was the best form of government?
            2. Theories
               1. What are the milestones of democracy in the United States?
                  1. Introduce theories about major shiftsà pre-internet politics, internet politics, social media politics
                  2. Theories about democracy
                     1. Social mediaà increased political participation
                     2. Political participation means increased awareness
                     3. Anonymityà lack of accountability
                  3. Where are we today?
                     1. Internet Culture
                        1. What is internet culture?
                        2. Length and Complexity of messages
                     2. What is populism?
                        1. Introduce theories behind populism

• Explain Twitter

1. How is Twitter Relevant to relevant to politics
   1. What is political participation
   2. 2016 election
      1. What does it say about social media and its role in the political process

• Is Twitter more persuasive than other sources?

1. Rhetoric of politicians before and after emergence of social media
   1. What does this show?

• How has the emergence of Twitter as a key player in the political process impacted the nature of representative democracy in the United States?
  1. We are not electing the person who we believe will best represent our interests
  2. Twitter is more persuasive than traditional news media
  3. 2016 electionà RAPID spread of information
     1. Fake news
     2. Russia
  4. Analysis of Tweets
     1. Content Analysisà specific language in Donald Trump’s Tweets
        1. Who is he appealing to?
        2. How was Twitter used by the general public in this election cycleà maybe analyze tweets from random sample of general public
     2. Fake news
        1. How is social media adding to the spread of fake news?
        2. What does fake news do to democracy?
     3. How much do people really know/care about politics? Maybe relate back to length and complexity of message (Tweets)
        1. What tactics did Trump use
     4. How does this relate to leadership?
        1. Donald Trump is the President of the United States, how did he use Twitter to his advantage?
        2. What does this mean for other leaders?
           1. Look at rhetoric pre and post twitter

Other Sources/ Sites to look at: https://wp.nyu.edu/smapp/papers-and-publications/