The recent decision by the Obama Administration to seek normalization of the U.S. relationship with Cuba took many political observers by surprise. While the president had previously taken measures to soften some portions of the Cuban embargo, the idea that two states might soon exchange ambassadors was largely off of the political radar. Part of the reason for the surprise is the fact that the powerful Cuban ethnic identity lobby in the United States has, for the most part, had success in influencing the U.S. government to pursue a hard line on Cuba. In hindsight, it could be argued that the moderation of demands on behalf of groups like the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) provided the Obama Administration with the political breathing space it needed to pursue further talks.
In the aftermath President Obama’s announcement, the division between older Cuban Americans, who tend to strongly oppose normalization, and younger Cuban Americans, who tend to favor it, became clear to anyone following local and national media accounts. In fact, generational divides on key foreign policy issues are not unique to the Cuban American community. Several ethnic identity groups in the United States have struggled with the same issues in recent decades.
One way that ethnic identity groups in the United States can attempt to mobilize and socialize younger members is through the use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. In my recent article in Politics, I use data on Facebook and Twitter activity in an attempt to determine the degree to which traditionally powerful ethnic identity groups are using social media as part of their grassroots mobilization efforts. I also examine whether those groups with the most significant generational challenges are responding by increasing their use of social media. I examine indicators and predictors of social media activity for 37 ethnic identity groups that are active in the United States. My results suggest that ethnic identity groups facing generational challenges are not turning to social media in an attempt to resolve them. However, groups that are powerful in the traditional sense do appear to be harnessing the potential of social media as part of their effort to consolidate that power.
Author Bio
Trevor Rubenzer is an associate professor of Political Science at the University of South Carolina, Upstate. Dr. Rubenzer’s research focuses on domestic sources of United States foreign policy. You can reach Dr. Rubenzer at trubenzer@uscupstate.edu
