Date of Award
Spring 5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Nora Rivera
Second Advisor
Ian Barnard
Third Advisor
Aurora Matzke
Abstract
In this study, I investigated the relationship between post-truth rhetoric and popular social media posts made by public figures during the 2024 United States presidential election. I focused on which topics and posts received the most or least engagement during the election, and theorized whether post-truth rhetoric impacted the popularity of the posts. In my results, I found that the effectiveness of post-truth rhetoric varied by the political topic it was addressing. The results of this study conclude that post-truth rhetoric is not always inherently unethical. Further, studying post-truth rhetoric for the purpose of understanding why it is used and why it is effective for specific audiences allows the field of rhetoric to gain more insight into how people’s beliefs and concerns affect their decisions.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Emi. Post-Truth Rhetoric and Its Correlation to Social Media in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. 2025. Chapman University, MA Thesis. Chapman University Digital Commons,https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000651