As one of the most plugged-in generations, millennials have a reputation for getting and sharing their news online, and the presidential race is no exception.
Pew Research Center data shows that 35 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds consider social media the most helpful resource for news on the 2016 election, topping other online and television news sources.
Frequently, young people are not only reading about politics on social media — they are posting about it, too. More than 60 percent of millennials said they get political news from Facebook in a given week, according to a Pew report.
Sharing politics on social media has potential consequences, though. Patricia Rossi, etiquette coach and author of "Everyday Etiquette: How to Navigate 101 Common and Uncommon Social Situations," said young people must realize that their social media posts are permanent but their views over time will likely shift and change.
"Social media isn't a place to play," said Rossi. "It's our résumé and our business card now."
Posts about strong political opinions threaten to alienate friends, co-workers, family members and others in your network who may read them, Rossi said.
"You're never, ever going to change someone's political opinions face to face in a [single] conversation," she said. "A tweet is probably not going to do that, either, especially if it's hostile."
Liz Sheehan, the president of College Democrats at Loyola University in Chicago, said millennials' familiarity with social media makes it easy for them to post about politics. But on her own Facebook profile, she does not share posts without fact-checking them, she said.
