How does social media usage impact Americans’ feelings of political efficacy?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
Political (civic) efficacy is the belief that one’s actions can influence government actions, policies, and political processes. In your own words, define political efficacy:
According to the visual above, how does the use of social media impact feelings of being able to create change in the nation (political efficacy)?
How surprised are you at the findings from the visual above?
Describe how much change you can create in the nation.
Of the five forms of political participation listed above - protest, campaigning, donating $, attending town meetings - which do you do, and which do you think is the best way to create change in the nation?
Do you believe there are any people left who really don’t use social media!?! Many people report using social media over 5 hours a day. How much do you use social media and how do you think it impacts your political beliefs?
Of all the different forms of political participation listed above - protest, campaigning, donating $, attending town meetings - which was seen as the most effective in influencing the government?
The Trump administration is very unpopular. As of mid-April 2026, President Donald Trump's net approval rating is significantly underwater, with polling averages placing him approximately 16 to 18 points in negative territory (e.g., 38% approve vs. 56% disapprove). His approval has declined following an unpopular war in Iran and concerns over the economy. Explain how much you think it is possible to influence the Trump administration.
As shown in the visual below* heavy users of social media are less likely to think democracy is the best form of government. Support for democracy is 72% among non-users, 57% among heavy users. Why do you think that heavy use of social media turns people against democracy?
The U.S. is celebrating 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. Explain how social media will impact the ability of the U.S. to be a free nation for the next 250 years?
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Do not use social media for one day and see how that impacts your views of democracy, political efficacy, and political participation.
Get Creative
Imagine there was no social media. There is. Write a 180 word poem, rap, or essay about how would that change American politics.
Learning Extension
Get AP Exam Ready with anytime access to our fabulous gamified online exam-prep resources, self-guided workshops, interactive reviews, games, and exclusive content. This comprehensive suite of materials is specifically designed to help students master the content and skills required for success on the AP United States Government and Politics Exam, such as reading comprehension and concept application.
-
Amendments
11
- Feb 29, 2024 First Amendment
- Feb 28, 2024 Second Amendment
- Feb 27, 2024 Fourth Amendment
- Feb 26, 2024 Fifth Amendment
- Feb 19, 2024 Sixth Amendment
- Feb 18, 2024 Seventh Amendment
- Feb 17, 2024 Eighth Amendment
- Feb 9, 2024 Ninth Amendment
- Feb 5, 2024 Tenth Amendment
- Feb 2, 2024 Fourteenth Amendment
- Jun 2, 2021 Twenty Second Amendment
-
Foundational Documents
9
- Apr 12, 2024 Declaration of Independence
- Apr 4, 2024 Articles of Confederation
- Apr 3, 2024 The United States Constitution
- Apr 2, 2024 Brutus 1
- Apr 2, 2024 Federalist No. 10
- Apr 2, 2024 Federalist No. 51
- Mar 20, 2024 Federalist No. 70
- Mar 19, 2024 Federalist No. 78
- Aug 5, 2021 Letter From Birmingham Jail
-
Supreme Court Cases
14
- Apr 14, 2024 Marbury v. Madison (1803)
- Apr 14, 2024 McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
- Apr 12, 2024 Schenck v. United States (1919)
- Apr 11, 2024 Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
- Apr 10, 2024 Baker v. Carr (1962)
- Apr 8, 2024 Engel v. Vitale
- Apr 7, 2024 Gideon v. Wainwright
- Apr 5, 2024 Tinker v. Des Moines
- Apr 4, 2024 New York Times v. US
- Apr 3, 2024 Wisconsin v. Yoder
- Apr 2, 2024 Shaw v. Reno
- Apr 1, 2024 U.S. v. Lopez
- Mar 30, 2024 Citizens United v. F.E.C.
- Mar 27, 2024 McDonald v. Chicago
-
UNIT 1
40
- Feb 5, 2025 State Capture
- Dec 27, 2024 Tyranny
- Nov 15, 2024 Separation of Powers
- Nov 15, 2024 Framers
- Apr 24, 2024 Impoundment
- Apr 24, 2024 Referendum
- Apr 11, 2024 Federal Mandate
- Apr 11, 2024 Autocracy
- Apr 4, 2024 Articles of Confederation
- Apr 3, 2024 The United States Constitution
- Apr 2, 2024 Categorical Grant
- Apr 2, 2024 Block Grant
- Apr 2, 2024 Federalist No. 51
- Mar 20, 2024 Commerce Clause
- Mar 19, 2024 Bicameralism
- Mar 12, 2024 Connecticut Compromise/Great Compromise
- Mar 12, 2024 New Jersey Plan
- Mar 7, 2024 Interstate Compact
- Mar 6, 2024 Shay’s Rebellion
- Mar 6, 2024 Necessary and Proper Clause
- Mar 5, 2024 Reserved Powers
- Mar 5, 2024 Concurrent Powers
- Mar 5, 2024 National Supremacy
- Mar 4, 2024 Virginia Plan
- Mar 1, 2024 Enumerated Powers
- Mar 1, 2024 Natural Rights
- Feb 27, 2024 Popular Sovereignty
- Feb 27, 2024 Federalism
- Oct 12, 2023 Limited Government
- Feb 16, 2023 Pluralist Democracy
- Aug 30, 2019 Elite democracy
- Aug 30, 2019 Participatory democracy
- Mar 20, 2019 Selective Incorporation
- Mar 18, 2019 Expressed Powers
- Feb 9, 2018 Extradition
- Feb 2, 2018 Preemption
- Feb 22, 2017 Eminent Domain
- Feb 21, 2017 Double Jeopardy
- Jan 31, 2017 Refugee
- Jan 16, 2017 Implied Powers
-
UNIT 2
68
- Oct 10, 2025 Government Shutdown
- Sep 17, 2025 Shadow Docket
- Aug 29, 2025 Jury Nullification
- Feb 26, 2025 Regulatory Capture
- Feb 21, 2025 Merit System/Spoils System
- Feb 21, 2025 Civil Service
- Feb 14, 2025 Executive Aggrandizement
- Feb 5, 2025 Impoundment
- Jan 30, 2025 Executive Order
- Dec 17, 2024 Federal Election Commission (FEC)
- Dec 6, 2024 It's A Trap
- Dec 6, 2024 Executive Privilege
- Dec 5, 2024 Impeachment
- Dec 5, 2024 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Dec 5, 2024 Department of Education
- Dec 4, 2024 Pardon
- Nov 20, 2024 Unified Government/Party Government
- Nov 19, 2024 Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Nov 15, 2024 Independent Agencies/Commissions
- Nov 15, 2024 Federal Bureaucracy
- Jul 5, 2024 Unitary Executive Theory
- May 22, 2024 Commander in Chief
- Apr 25, 2024 Rule of Four
- Apr 18, 2024 Trustee
- Apr 18, 2024 Delegate
- Apr 18, 2024 Politico
- Apr 16, 2024 Divided Government
- Apr 16, 2024 Congressional Whip
- Apr 15, 2024 Speaker of the House
- Apr 15, 2024 Closed Rule
- Apr 5, 2024 Congressional Committees
- Apr 5, 2024 Rule Making Authority
- Apr 2, 2024 Coattail Effect
- Apr 2, 2024 Signing Statement
- Mar 20, 2024 Congressional Oversight
- Mar 14, 2024 Federal Reserve
- Mar 6, 2024 Redistricting
- Mar 6, 2024 Reapportionment
- Mar 5, 2024 Full Faith and Credit Clause
- Mar 5, 2024 Safe Seats
- Feb 19, 2024 Judicial Review
- Feb 16, 2024 Filibuster
- Feb 19, 2019 Bureaucratic Rule-Making
- Feb 19, 2019 White House Staff
- Feb 20, 2018 Conference Committee
- Feb 16, 2018 Office of Management and Budget
- Feb 8, 2018 Stare Decisis/Precedent
- Feb 7, 2018 Congressional Budget Office
- Jan 26, 2018 Federal Register
- Jan 19, 2018 Gerrymander
- Jan 18, 2018 Party Caucus
- Jan 16, 2018 Executive Office of the President
- Jan 11, 2018 Gross domestic product (GDP)
- Mar 3, 2017 Regulation
- Feb 23, 2017 Treaty
- Feb 20, 2017 Executive Privilege
- Feb 14, 2017 Logrolling
- Feb 10, 2017 Fiscal Policy
- Feb 7, 2017 Rally Point
- Feb 6, 2017 Cabinet
- Feb 2, 2017 Senate Confirmation
- Feb 1, 2017 National Security Council
- Jan 28, 2017 Tariff
- Jan 27, 2017 Chief of Staff
- Jan 18, 2017 Pocket Veto
- Jan 17, 2017 Entitlements
- Dec 22, 2016 Presidential Honeymoon
- Dec 16, 2016 Cloture
-
UNIT 3
23
- Aug 29, 2025 Jury Nullification
- Mar 17, 2025 Racially Restrictive Covenants
- Apr 11, 2024 Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
- Apr 10, 2024 Baker v. Carr (1962)
- Apr 7, 2024 Gideon v. Wainwright
- Apr 5, 2024 Tinker v. Des Moines
- Apr 5, 2024 Docket
- Apr 5, 2024 Mass Movements
- Mar 13, 2024 Establishment Clause
- Mar 13, 2024 Free Exercise Clause
- Mar 13, 2024 Clear and Present Danger Test
- Mar 13, 2024 Amicus Curiae (friend of the court) Brief
- Feb 2, 2024 Fourteenth Amendment
- Mar 20, 2019 Selective Incorporation
- Jan 29, 2018 Commercial Speech
- Jan 17, 2018 Exclusionary Rule
- Jan 15, 2018 White Primary
- Feb 27, 2017 Fighting Words
- Feb 22, 2017 Eminent Domain
- Feb 21, 2017 Double Jeopardy
- Feb 15, 2017 Plea Bargain
- Feb 3, 2017 Civil Disobedience
- Jan 24, 2017 Jim Crow Laws
-
UNIT 4
26
- Oct 24, 2025 Extrajudicial Killing
- Dec 18, 2024 Debt
- Dec 18, 2024 Deficit
- Dec 2, 2024 Tariff
- Nov 19, 2024 Political Norms
- Nov 11, 2024 The Big Sort
- May 3, 2024 Reinforcing Cleavages
- May 3, 2024 Cross-Cutting Cleavages
- Apr 22, 2024 Gender Gap
- Apr 22, 2024 Political Socialization
- Apr 16, 2024 Political Culture
- Mar 20, 2024 Entitlements
- Mar 19, 2024 American Dream
- Mar 19, 2024 Socialism
- Mar 19, 2024 Libertarianism
- Mar 14, 2024 Sampling Error
- Mar 14, 2024 Exit Polls
- Mar 14, 2024 Public Opinion
- Mar 13, 2024 Conservativism
- Mar 13, 2024 Liberalism
- Mar 13, 2024 Political Ideology
- Mar 12, 2024 Fiscal Policy
- Mar 12, 2024 Monetary Policy
- Mar 12, 2024 Political Efficacy
- Mar 29, 2019 Rule of Law
- Feb 28, 2017 Ethnocentrism
-
UNIT 5
39
- Feb 26, 2026 Propaganda
- Feb 24, 2026 Dummymander
- Oct 23, 2025 Dark Money
- Dec 6, 2024 Media Bubble/News Bubble/Echo Chamber
- Jun 25, 2024 Horse Race Journalism
- Apr 25, 2024 Voter Turnout
- Apr 25, 2024 Purple State/Swing State
- Apr 25, 2024 Blue State
- Apr 25, 2024 Red State
- Apr 24, 2024 Off-Year Election
- Apr 22, 2024 Cracking
- Apr 22, 2024 Packing
- Apr 22, 2024 Rational choice theory
- Apr 22, 2024 Party line voting
- Apr 5, 2024 Political Polarization
- Apr 5, 2024 Mass Movements
- Apr 2, 2024 Coattail Effect
- Mar 22, 2024 Bundling
- Mar 22, 2024 Party Convention
- Mar 22, 2024 Name Recognition
- Mar 20, 2024 Term Limits
- Mar 20, 2024 Party Platform
- Mar 12, 2024 Primary election
- Mar 12, 2024 Caucus election
- Mar 12, 2024 PAC
- Mar 12, 2024 Super PAC
- Mar 11, 2024 Midterm Election
- Mar 11, 2024 Bipartisan
- Mar 11, 2024 Lobbyist
- Mar 11, 2024 Single Member District
- Mar 6, 2024 Selective Exposure
- Mar 6, 2024 Linkage Institutions
- Mar 5, 2024 Safe Seats
- Mar 5, 2019 Spoils System
- Jan 22, 2018 Closed Primary
- Jan 19, 2018 Gerrymander
- Mar 13, 2017 Realigning Election
- Feb 3, 2017 Civil Disobedience
- Jan 11, 2017 Party Identification
-
UNIT 6
3
- Dec 27, 2024 Scooby Doo
- Oct 2, 2024 Waffle House
- Oct 1, 2024 Beagle
If you liked today’s bell ringer, become a member of our Liberty Bell Ringer Club and get access to our archive of over 1000 visual lessons tagged by content and unit plus a whole lot more…
Teaching AP Government is a marathon, and every class period needs a strong start. The Liberty Bell Ringer Membership gives you an archive of 1,000+ ready-to-go bell ringers. But it doesn't stop there. When it's time to mix things up, dig into a growing library of whole-class games your students will actually enjoy. And when May draws near the built-in exam prep has you covered. Cancel at any time. Use promo code SIGNMEUP at checkout to get the first month of our monthly subscription for free!
Activities
Archive
