Social Media Steers 17% of Users to Change Minds Prior to US Presidential Vote

Social media is playing an outsized role in the US presidential election, with 17 percent of those surveyed saying that posts have pushed them to switch sides ahead of Tuesday’s vote, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Among social media users, Democrats — especially liberal Democrats — were somewhat more likely than Republicans to say they have ever modified their views on a social or political issue, or on a particular political candidate, because of something they saw on social media, the release explained.

"Twenty percent of social media users say they’ve modified their stance on a social or political issue because of material they saw on social media, and 17 percent say social media has helped to change their views about a specific political candidate," a press release accompanying the poll stated.

Moreover, the poll revealed that the influence of social media was negative.

For example, views toward Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton turned negative with three voters for every one voter who said they were more positive toward Clinton, the poll noted.

For Republican nominee Donald Trump, five times as many voters said social media made them more negative, as opposed to positive, toward the billionaire real estate developer, the poll added.