🧵 How Campaigns Game Voter Attention

Based on Shaki, Aumann & Kraus (2024)
arxiv.org/pdf/2412.1...

#PrimingPower2

Takeaway:

We often think campaigns want to change our minds.

They don’t.

They want to change our mental playlist.

The order of issues decides the outcome.

The top song wins.

#PrimingPower2 #ForumThreads #Disinformation #IssueSalience

What this explains in real life:

–Why the same candidates focus on different topics in different elections
–Why opposition campaigns try to bury their rival’s strengths
–Why issues like inflation or migration come and go in waves

It’s not random. It’s calculated.
#PrimingPower2

Elections aren’t just battles of ideas.

They’re battles over which idea matters most.

That’s why campaigns pour resources into priming—not convincing.

They want to win the war for your attention.

#PrimingPower2

2 – How Campaigns Game Voter Attention

Campaigns don’t persuade. They prioritize.

They invest in making one issue loud enough to drive your decision.

It’s not about facts—it’s about emotional visibility.

That’s how salience wins votes.

#PrimingPower2