ABSTRACT
In Barack Obama’s farewell address to the nation, he focused his comments on the health of democracy. He warned that democracy is threatened when trust in democratic institutions is low, when political cynicism is rampant, and when citizens worry that corruption makes engaging in the democratic process pointless. In articulating the sociological trends that threaten democracy, Obama identified several factors such as economic inequality, racism, and hyper-partisanship. Among the various threats listed, Obama included a warning about social media—urging citizens not to retreat into their social media bubbles surrounded solely by like-minded others who reaffirm their preexisting beliefs (“President Obama’s,” 2017).
