Donald Trump as one of the presidential candidate for the United States Of America in 2020 has utilized the use of social media platforms and has gained a number of followers with each platforms to unify is political community, while also causing a lot of people to loose trust in the mainstream media (Intrabartola, 2021). It is evident that in early 2021, Trump was banned from Meta’s platforms such as twitter, for spreading false information in the form of speeches and social media posts regarding the US election (Maguire, 2024). This has lead to thousands of protesters to protest in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, in effort to dispute the outcomes of the ‘unfair’ 2020 US presidential election Trump has claimed in 2021 (Twitter, 2021). Social media platforms aren’t a requirement for politicians, but in today’s digital and technological advancement era it could be an essential tool to strengthen and access modern political communication. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok has also been a requirement when it comes to politics, as theses platforms may have the ability to spread information to almost everyone in a short amount of time (Despin, 2023). Politicians may benefit from using social media for free campaign advertisements, to create transparency between the government and the citizens and a more direct communication to the public about their political views while also avoiding traditional media gatekeepers. Peeters, J. (2022) argues that it is essential for politicians to effectively connect with audiences in an approachable manner and effectively communicate with citizens. Nonetheless it is evident that some citizens claim that they depend on receiving most of their political news from these social media platforms and would collectively follow politicians on social media (Peeters, 2022). Trump’s use of social media effectively strengthened his electoral base via direct and unfiltered connection, while also intensifying national divisions through spreading misinformation, increased visibility in outrage, to a breakdown of democratic controversy.
Social media platforms such as twitter has influenced Trump’s political communication to build a ‘strong sense of identity’ within his political community via direct communication and honesty. To support this claim, it is evident from one of trumps famous hashtags and one of his repeated tweets ‘MAGA (Make America Great Again)’, as one of his ‘strategic use of nostalgic message’ has allowed him to connect with his community. On the other hand, it also serves the purpose of increasing the public’s political awareness towards the issues and fundraising that comes with it in the politic field, in which it is located in almost all social media platforms (Volle, 2023). On the other hand, “Make America Great Again” is also one of Donald Trump’s nostalgic messages, significantly contributed to forge an emotional bond with his supporters. Trump’s tweets conveyed a message focused more on reclaiming what was lost rather than progressing, which resonated with certain segments of the people experiencing a perceived loss in national standing or their own personal circumstances. According to Flores (2018), it is also evident that Twitter played a huge role in Donald Trump’s political communication during his first 100 days of presidency. On the other hand, Trump’s numerous tweets on Twitter regarding making America great again and his assertions about the nation’s issues surpassed his proposed solutions. Flores argues that social media enabled Trump to directly connect with vast audiences, avoiding mainstream media and transparently communicate with the audience (Flores, 2018). This may create a ‘sense of immediacy’ unseen in previous political contexts, Twitter also enables him to engage directly with followers, manage his narrative while also utilizing rhetorical strategies to strengthen connection with his base and perceived opponents (Flores, 2018).
Trump’s Twitter featured derogatory remarks directed at political adversaries, his political rivals, private individuals, the media, and a manipulated voting system. Trump’s adeptness at utilizing Twitter, constrained by its 140-character restriction, manage to divert his supporter’s attention towards ‘sensationalism’. It is evident that Donald Trump’s self-expression may have contributed to his win, it also resulted in negative repercussions (Flores, 2018). Flores (2018) also quoted that Donald Trump’s “unrefined and unrestrained approach to social media and politics” strongly contributed to the perception of genuineness. In contrast to conventional politicians who typically convey messages through meticulously formulated comments, Trump’s tweets were known to be often impulsive and unfiltered most of the time.
One of the advantages of having politicians on social media platforms is the ‘democratization of the political process’. Social media platforms has changed the way political campaigns are conducted, other than that it also has provided new ways to connect with voters, engage freely with the press, and lastly gives voter an advantage of receiving news on politics, the issues that comes with it (Despin, 2023). With having easier access onto political news, some of the younger groups of individuals often engage and prefer ‘casual and brief reading habits’, primarily concentrating on news headlines, associated images, and introductory statements (Boczkowski et al., 2018). News consumption frequently occurs accidentally while users participate in other activities on social media platforms. Because of this, less time is spent on reading news stories that are found by accident compared to traditional ways of receiving news like reading newspapers or watching TV. As news appears on social media, attention becomes briefer and more fragmented. Through Twitter, voters are allowed to communicate by replying to tweets, voice their opinions, and have the ability to question the candidates, this may result to establishing a more ‘dynamic and participatory’ environment.
Despin (2023), also argues that with the use of social media, misinformation’s and propaganda may occur and spread easily. As a result of that some people may feel biased and may cause a huge impact on the ‘political process’. This is evident from his presidency, Donald Trump sought to discredit journalists, characterizing the mainstream media as biased. The “fake news” tweets claims have caused a huge number of people not trust the mainstream media (Intrabartola, 2021). Second evidence towards this claim, according to Wike et al., (2022), the graph shown shows 84% median in 19 countries and argues that social media platforms has made people manipulated easily when it comes to false information’s. Individuals may frequently place their trust in information provided by their social networks. As foreign governments and their representatives deliberately attempt to undermine the U.S. election outcomes by spreading false or exaggerated claims on social media, may purposely weaken the public’s faith in electoral processes and results (Sanchez & Middlemass, 2022). By spreading misinformation on social media affects voter perceptions of elections, resulting important to allocate equivalent cyber resources and campaign strategies to combat this misinformation. The dissemination of misinformation on social media has a significant impact on the thoughts of electors regarding elections. Therefore, it is crucial that ‘cyber tools and campaign efforts’ are used in order to prevent misinformation from spreading across the platforms (Sanchez & Middlemass, 2022). Despin (2023), argues that social media platforms rely on algorithms that give priority to involvement and attention is one of the reasons why they are so effective at disseminating false information. This indicates that content that is either sensational or controversial is frequently given more prominence, regardless of whether or not it is accurate or verifiable. Additional criticism has been leveled toward social media sites for their inability to effectively police fraudulent information and remove it from their platforms (Despin, 2023). The widespread of misinformation on social media constitutes a substantial threat to the democratic process. If voters base their decisions on misinformation, they cannot make informed choices, hence undermining the validity of the election. Furthermore, the dissemination of disinformation can exacerbate polarization and division within society, as individuals become more entrenched in their convictions and increasingly reluctant to participate in civil conversation.
The utilization of social media by political leaders contributes to national division through various ways. Some of the evidence supporting this claim includes algorithmic amplification of controversial content, increased ‘partisan animosity’ facilitated by platform systems, and lastly the deterioration of standards of democracy and trust within institutions (Barrett et al., 2021). While some disagreement is typical, severe polarization, particularly on the political right, poses risks that jeopardize the very foundation of democracy. While some disagreement is typical, severe polarization, particularly on the political right, poses risks that jeopardize the very foundation of democracy. This encompasses diminishing ‘distrust in institutions and the loss of democratic values’ causing potential real-world violence (Barrett et al., 2021). Polarization in the U.S. commenced decades prior to the emergence of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The realignment of political party affiliation, the emergence of hyper-partisan radio and cable television channels, and heightened racism during Donald Trump’s exceptionally polarizing presidency have exacerbated the issue. According to (Allcott et al., (2020), as cited in Barrett et al., (2021)), after the experiment was conducted in which participants are refrained from using Facebook for one month and subsequently told to complete a survey regarding their perspectives. Which has led to a discovery that refraining participants from the platform “substantially mitigated polarization of perspectives on policy matters,” however it did not lessen division solely based on party affiliation. Gentzkow, M (2020), also quoted that with the experiment that has been conducted that “It aligns with the perspective that individuals encounter political content on social media that often exacerbates their anger towards opposing viewpoints and increases their conviction on particular issues.”
Moreover, whereas conventional media contributes to the exacerbation of separation, Trump’s direct engagement on social media constituted particular occurrence. His capacity to attract media attention via social media was not depending upon certain platforms, but rather on his distinctive skill in engaging with users (Gambini, 2024).
Trumps use of social media platforms has changed the contradictory power in politics, allowing him to create and strengthen his political community while also contributing to national division. He has successfully created a bond using his authenticity, transparency and nostalgic emotions with his supporters, which represents how powerful direct communication can be today’s advanced world of politics. On the other hand, Trump some of his strategy may have controversial consequences of his tactics, worsened by platform algorithms and his bravery to challenge democratic norms, ultimately being played a more substantial role in national political division. Social media platforms are responsible for their contribution to exacerbating divide and strive to mitigate the algorithmic promotion of controversial material. While political leaders must evaluate how social media practices affect their base and national conversation. Lastly it is significantly important to balance between genuine political conversation and wise social media utilization will be crucial for preserving democratic unity in this digital era. Political leaders’ use of social media contributes to national division through algorithmic amplification of controversial content, increased partisan animosity, and deterioration of democracy and trust within institutions. Severe polarization, particularly on the political right, poses risks that jeopardize the foundation of democracy, including diminishing trust in institutions and the loss of democratic values.
REFERENCE
Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S., & Gentzkow, M. (2020). The Welfare Effects of Social Media. American Economic Review, 110(3), 629–676. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20190658
Barrett, P., Hendrix, J., & Sims, G. (2021, September 27). How tech platforms fuel U.S. political polarization and what government can do about it. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-tech-platforms-fuel-u-s-political-polarization-and-what-government-can-do-about-it/
Boczkowski, P. J., Mitchelstein, E., & Matassi, M. (2018). “News comes across when I’m in a moment of leisure”: Understanding the practices of incidental news consumption on social media. New Media & Society, 20(10), 3523–3539. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817750396
Despin , S. (2023, July 20). The Role of Social Media in US Politics: Pros and Cons of Digital Democracy. LIBERTARIAN ASSOCIATION of MASSACHUSETTS. https://www.lpmass.org/the_role_of_social_media_in_us_politics_pros_and_cons_of_digital_democracy
Flores, P. (2018). Social Media’s Influence on Political Communication: A Content Social Media’s Influence on Political Communication: A Content Analysis of Donald Trump’s Tweets in the First 100 Days of His Analysis of Donald Trump’s Tweets in the First 100 Days of His Presidency Presidency. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1257&context=etd
Gambini, B. (2024, May 6). Tale of two social media platforms for Donald Trump. Www.buffalo.edu. https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2024/05/trump-social-media.html
Intrabartola, L. (2021, January 19). How Trump Shaped the Media. Www.rutgers.edu. https://www.rutgers.edu/news/how-trump-shaped-media
Maguire, D. (2024, July 13). Meta lifts restrictions on Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. Abc.net.au; ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-13/donald-trump-facebook-instagram-ban-restrictions-lifted/104094200
Peeters , J. (2022, November 13). How can politicians master social media? Global Government Forum. https://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/how-politicians-can-master-social-media-and-why-it-helps-governments-if-they-do/
Sanchez, G., & Middlemass, K. (2022, July 26). Misinformation is eroding the public’s confidence in democracy. Brookings; The Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/misinformation-is-eroding-the-publics-confidence-in-democracy/
Volle, A. (2023, July 21). MAGA movement | Meaning, Beliefs, Origins, Donald Trump, & Facts | Britannica. Www.britannica.com. https://www.britannica.com/topic/MAGA-movement
Wike, R., Silver, L., Fetterolf, J., Huang, C., Austin, S., Clancy, L., & Gubbala, S. (2022, December 6). Social Media seen as mostly good for Democracy across many nations, but U.S. is a major outlier. Pew Research Center; Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/12/06/social-media-seen-as-mostly-good-for-democracy-across-many-nations-but-u-s-is-a-major-outlier/
Hi Shannon Kate, You’re right to ask; it is incredibly difficult to police these issues today. Predatory behaviour isn’t exclusive…