Reactions to President Obama’s Speech on the Results of the Election on Facebook: "We Are Americans First"

Themes

Not a lot of people were happy regarding the presidential election. People thought Secretary Clinton would win the election, but Trump won the race. President Obama, gave his speech on the results of the election. The people’s reaction to his speech caught my attention, because of the amount of emotions that were shared through the people’s comments on Facebook.  In analyzing these reactions/comments on Facebook from President Obama’s speech on the results of the election, I was able to categorize the comments that were made into three main categories. The three main categories are: Ideological, Motivational, and Theological Approach. There were a lot of emotion that people shown through their comments on the video.

My theory is about the way that leadership requires more than being loyal to a party or a person. Leadership is not determined by a specific idea or party. It comes from wanting to do what is best for the people, by understanding cultures, thoughts, and beliefs. My theory also focuses on the need of respect for a leader, regardless of differences of beliefs.

Ideological

Ideological is a way to describe perspective thoughts on politics and culture.

The first major category of comments consisted on the following terms that were mentioned a lot: minorities, politics, support, hard work, nation, leadership, character, educate/educated, love, and great. All of these terms were combined into the Ideological category. It seems that the comments that were made focused on the United States of America and not politics. A comment from David Riberi mentioned, “President Obama, I think you’ve done a fabulous job for all of us and I, for one, have be quite proud to travel the country the world as an American during your presidency. (Facebook, 2016)” Another example, is the idea of ‘leading’ this nation and the work that comes with it. A comment from Danielle Stack mentioned, “…And to our President, I am sincerely sorry people have not given you the respect and due credit you deserve, largely for being a black man. In my opinion you fought hard for America, and for the world, and it has been a humbling honor to have you represent my country. You continue to give me hope and pride, and your legacy will live on in my life. I love you President Obama and thank you for trying your absolute best (Facebook, 2016).”

Motivational  

The second major category of comments focused a lot on thanking President Obama for his services to the United States of America. In this category, Motivational Approach, it categorized all comments that were made of “Thanksgiving” and “Best President.” There were also comments on thanking President Obama for inspiring young adult Americans to fight for what they believe to be right. President Obama, during his speech stated that, “To the young people who got into politics for the first time and may be discouraged by the results, I want you to know, you have to stay encouraged… don’t get cynical. Don’t ever think you can’t make a difference. As secretary of state Hillary Clinton said this morning, "Fighting for what is right is important (Garunay, 2016).” Thanksgiving comments were made a lot to President Obama. A comment from Melody Waller stated, “President Obama, thank you for everything. You and your team are the epitome and class and grace. God bless you President Obama, the first Lady, and your entire family (Facebook, 2016).” Ana Soares commented and mentioned, “You will be missed Dearest President Barack Obama!!! The World became today a darkest grey place to live!!! I wish you and to your family all the best! You are an example to follow (HEART EMOJI) (Facebook, 2016).” The best president comments were also tied to the word “YEAR(s)” stating the time in office.

Motivation is the influence or drive that causes us to behave in a specific manner and has been described as consisting of energy, direction, and sustainability (Gilley, Gilley, & Mcmillan, 2009). Being a leader, per se the President of the United States of America, comes with a leader’s ability to persuade and influence others to work in a common direction reflects his or her talent to motivate. The comments that were made influence people to say what they said. President Obama’s leadership made people behave in some certain ways/manner. Almirah Norgove-Harris commented and stated, “We r (are) going 2 (to) definitely truly miss you Mr. Barak Obama it has been a blessing excising (existing) journey so best wishes 2 (to) u (you) n (and) ur (your) family (Facebook, 2016).” Ilene Farry also mentioned, “Good bye to everything we believe in. Thank you Obama for all you tried to do. Now all we can do is put our fate in Gods hand (Facebook, 2016).” President Obama’s speech showed that, he cared about the country and that showed from the comments that were made on Facebook.

Theological

The last major category focused on asking God to bless President Obama and the United States of America. A lot of people referenced God in their comments about President Obama. They asked God to watch over him and bless him always, and to guide him in the right direction. A comment that was made from Jeannine TigressGittens stated, “You will never be forgotten, President & First Lady Obama. Eloquence, intelligence, and diplomacy mixed with fun-loving mindset. May God bless your family always (Facebook, 2016).” The word God gives a sense of guidance, hope, and trust that there is a higher being watching over the president of the United States of America. I found this very interesting, because people believe in something so divine that makes themselves faithful people. There was specific comment thanking God for the opportunity to have President Obama as their president. Crystal Patton stated, “What an awesome, intelligent and down to earth guy, President and family man he is. I thank God we experienced Barak Obama (Facebook, 2016).” There were also comments that did not just focus on the president, but also the First Lady. Gi Gi mentioned on Facebook that, “Thank you for all you did for our country president Obama. You’ll be truly missed. Now let’s push Michelle 2020!! God bless! (Facebook, 2016).” People felt the inclination to thank God for President Obama, as well for God to watch over him. This approached that was shown on Facebook, focused on the idea that God has helped and will continue help the presidents of the United States of America.

Discussion  

This grounded theory analysis first began as I notice that there was a massive problem that people had after the election from the people that have supported the current president. There were many communities that were upset with the outcome of the election. When I was looking at the comments that were made, I then was able to categories the comments that were made into three main categories. The three main categories are: Ideological, Motivational, and Theological Approach.

In the Ideological category, I have noticed the comments had a lot of focus on the idea of being one nation. The comments were focused on minorities, politics, support, hard work, nation, leadership, character, educate/educated, love, and great. People reacted to his speech by focusing on minorities and hard work, because that is what President Obama built his platform around. People indicated that they loved President Obama, because his willingness to make a change. People were also making aware that President Obama’s leadership will be missed dearly, because of his character, leadership, and love.

Motivational comments talked about the influence that President Obama had on America. Motivation is the influence or drive that causes us to behave in a specific manner and has been described as consisting of energy, direction, and sustainability (Gilley, Gilley, & Mcmillan, 2009). President Obama’s speech motivated the young one to think about the bigger picture. People indicated through their comments on Facebook that President Obama did care for them. Because of President Obama’s speech, people wanted to share good things about him, so he can be remembered in a positive way.

The comments under the Theological category mentioned a lot of the word God. The word God gives a sense of guidance, hope, and trust that there is a higher being watching over the president of the United States of America. People felt it was the right way to say thank you for your service. The comments that were made, gave President Obama a sense of transitioning from a hierarchy position to a retirement setting of service. The comments showed that people believe in something bigger than themselves. In conclusion, no matter what political party you stand with and the outcome, the focus is the bigger reason behind of leadership. "We have to remember that we're actually all on one team…We’re not Democrats first, we're not Republicans first, we are Americans first. We're patriots first. We all want what’s best for this country (Garunay, 2016)." – President Obama

   

References

(2016, November 21). Retrieved from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/WhiteHouse/videos/?ref=page_internal

Dong, H. (2008). Ideology Compleity Model: Towards the soul-searching communication. Journal of Intercultural Communication(18), 1404-1634.

Gilley, A., Gilley, J. W., & Mcmillan, H. S. (2009). Organizational Change: Motivation, Communication, and Leadership Effectiveness. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 21(4), 75-94.