Social Media is Changing the Game for the Presidency

This day and age is unlike any other. Never before did the political opinion of a famous seventeen-year-old girl who likes to do TikTok dances have any sway in an election. Now, in this unorthodox time, political candidates are being asked whether they will also do TikTok dances to influence their voters. I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to watch Biden dance to the latest Kanye West song. Plus, he might fall. But, maybe that would give the video a ton of views. What a crazy world we live in!

Social media rules the world now. The President of the United States is one of the most powerful, influential, and important people in the world. Yet, social media helps decide who that person will be. It is all-encompassing, all-surrounding, and all-consuming. Media is no longer just “media.” Now, media is referred to as “the media,” “the media mob,” and “fake news” just to name a few negatively charged nicknames.

Media is not just thirteen channels anymore, the local news, and the local newspaper. It’s more than the Oprah show. It’s more than the Late-Night Shows. It’s more than Saturday Night Live. It is a mass of media that encompasses all of that, plus so much more.

Now a person’s media that they are bombarded with includes influencers of all ages, memes, celebrities giving their political PSAs that we never asked for, and a Twitter feed perfectly curated to each person’s views and interests. So, in an age like this, how do we seek out the truth? How do we file through all the fluff and fake news to understand what is actually happening? The problem is, it is near-impossible.

This social media age is changing the game for elections. Voters have access to the latest news, press releases, statements, posts, memes, etc. all at their fingertips. Before social media, voters had to watch the news on TV to get the latest. Now, as soon as something happens, there is an outpour of information on the subject on websites, social media outlets, and podcasts.

During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, he conducted a fireside chat with his constituents regularly, so the public was informed on key issues. In a way, this could be thought of as the most transparent time in the presidency. However, FDR also conducted private press conferences that were off-the-record. This allowed him to speak freely, but the public had no idea what he was saying.

This wouldn’t fly today. Can you imagine how the media would react if former President Donald Trump didn’t allow them to report on his statements in a press conference? The media would have a field day speculating on whatever scheme it assumes former President Trump must be cooking up.

This social media age is the most dire time for the press/presidency relationship. The fact is, it is unnatural for a person to have access to this massive amount of instantaneous information at the drop of a hat. However, it can be used as a strategic medium for candidates to have their platform heard, should they decide to hop on the social apps.

As a candidate for office, a person now needs to decide whether he or she will become swallowed up by the mass media mob, never to be spoken of again or whether they will use it as a tool. Social media can be a tool for gaining attention and followers, and some candidates for 2024 have already put it to use.

According to a poll conducted by DemandSage, 4.9 billion people use social media apps with the average user accessing six social media platforms monthly.

The people who are using these sites are overwhelmed with news and politics on a monthly basis. So, if candidates want to remain relevant, it is necessary to use social media as a way to access the public directly.

            It is also a strategic way to access young people. Young voters are highly influenced by their social media sites and the people they follow. Having a presence on Instagram, for example, will drastically help a candidate connect with younger voters.

            Twitter is another valuable tool. Former President Donald Trump’s Tweets have become iconic and a large portion of the public loves them. He uses Twitter as a platform to speak directly to the public, much like FDR’s fireside chats. Twitter is a viable way for candidates to transcend a lot of the media mob’s fake news. Candidates can promote their platform with their own words versus the public having to sift through all the fake news in the media mob searching for some truth. Some candidates are also using Instagram because they can post exactly what they want the public to see.

The social media age is definitely different than what we are accustomed to. But, social media could be the best form of communication since FDR’s fireside chats for the presidency. Using social media, a president can access the public directly rather than leaving it up to the media mob to spin his or her platform to match a certain narrative.

All of the criticism about social media is slightly short-sided. Instead, we should be supporting it and encouraging candidates to use it as a tool.