Alejandro Chafuen, Acton’s Managing Director, International, writes today in Forbes with his annual analysis of think tanks’ use of social media. While social media stats shouldn’t be our only or even primary measure of success, no one can deny the prevalence of social networks in today’s world, and many groups expend considerable energy in their efforts in this field.
The most comprehensive ranking of think tanks is produced by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania. It includes tables with think tanks’ standing in social media and their use of the Internet. The ranking is based on votes by peers and not on the actual outcomes, but in many cases rankings and outcomes go hand in hand. I share in this piece how think tanks and other organizations that promote a free economy scored during the March 2018-2019 period on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, SimilarWeb, LinkedIn and Instagram.
A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC news survey showed a majority of respondents believed that social media is dividing America, making us waste time, and helping spread more lies and falsehoods than actual, verifiable information. Nevertheless, think tanks, like many of us, spend a considerable amount of resources to communicate the results of their work and influence public policy through all types of social media.
Read the entire piece here.
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