With the 2024 election coming up in November, the country is buzzing with political debate.
Whether they are broadcasted, published or posted, the media offers an outlet for both promotions and opinions surrounding the election to be channeled. While this characteristic is a valuable feature to social media platforms, it comes with dire consequences.
Like any major event, the upcoming presidential election has gained attention across various social media platforms. Users’ feeds have been flooded with a constant stream of political information and propaganda. Social media can serve as a convenient way to tune into pop culture and politics, but users must be wary of the effect it can have on their personal political opinions.
As the 21st century progresses, social media is becoming a universally used form of communication and expression. Consequently, many political figures are beginning to integrate their social media accounts into their promotion strategies. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris each have their own highly followed social media accounts over numerous platforms.
With social media followings of millions of followers across multiple accounts, both the Trump and Harris campaigns are utilizing the impact social media could have on the election. Upon watching the presidential debate and other videos, it’s clear that Harris cares very much about her appearance online.
“Some of her poses and some of her facial expressions were deliberately designed,” history teacher Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer said. “I think [her expressions were] probably very carefully rehearsed so that they would look good on Instagram and on Tiktok and all those places where young people are looking and getting their information.”
The illusory truth effect states that “when we hear the same false information repeated again and again, we often come to believe it is true.”
Social media offers a breeding ground for this effect and can subtly ease viewers into believing misinformation. It’s easy to tell yourself that you’re aware enough to not fall into these traps, but with the intelligence of social media algorithms rapidly on the incline as technological advancements become more frequent, how sure can you be?
“Social media is a tool that can be used to sway the opinions of young people without necessarily providing a strong factual or evidentiary basis for the positions there,” Cheeseman-Meyer said.
With this year’s election coming up, it is extremely important for voters to make their own decisions supported by their own opinions. While social media is crucial for information sharing that can help viewers make more informed decisions, people must be very cautious of fake news and the ability social platforms have to mold their personal thoughts.
Leaning into trends and posting captivating attacks on their fellow nominee highlights how each candidate’s social media teams are skilled at getting viewers attention. By playing into viewers’ passionate opinions, these campaigns easily steal attention and can quickly lead to misinformation bleeding through users “For You” pages.
In addition to having the ability to sway people’s political opinions, social media can also strengthen their beliefs. The algorithm of social media platforms is such that it will adhere to the past interactions and perceived interest of the user. In other words, if you show interest in a certain political party or figure, the algorithm will continue to show content related to or posted by that group.
The ease of having everyone’s opinions at one’s fingertips – and the algorithm’s ability to shove said opinions in users’ faces – creates a sort of echo chamber. When a consumer likes, comments or even lingers on a post for a certain amount of time, the platform learns to repeat it back over and over.
“I’m much more likely to be swayed by information that matches my biases and my preferences,” Cheeseman-Meyer said. “I think it’s very easy for people to live in a bubble surrounded by propaganda they personally like.”
One component that social media doesn’t always offer is a change in perspective. Because the algorithm is designed with the intent to ensnare users by their biases, it sometimes doesn’t give opposing sources the opportunity to pitch promotions. For example, a Democrat may only see Harris’s promotions on their feed, while a Republican would have to specifically seek that information out in order to find it.
As social media continues to dominate the sources of information for younger generations, it’s critical that voters are aware of the influence it can potentially have on them.
It’s crucial to be aware of the bias of your feed and understand that just because something is funny or trendy, it doesn’t necessarily make it evidence that someone is a better candidate. There are plenty of people out there who are generally perceived as funny, but are in no way qualified to run the country.
So how can you be more aware of your own personal bias? It’s good to use other resources beyond social media to educate yourself about these topics. There are many reliable news sites, some of which tend to swing toward a certain party and some of which are more objective. Sites like CNN tend to be more left-leaning while resources like Fox News lean right. If you’re looking for a more impartial source, PBS and AP News offer completely unbiased coverage. It’s also worth looking at international news, like BBC or Reuters. If you’d like to see where your preferred news site falls on a scale of bias, this chart developed by Harvard Library illustrates the spectrum of news resources.
We’re not saying that social media is a completely invalid source of information, but we want users to be aware of the difficulty of untangling truth from masses of propaganda, especially during election season.
The nation is in an incredibly divided state right now, and this election will have long lasting effects on the future of our country. It is crucial for voters to use their best judgment when selecting the next leader of our country.
Social media can cloud judgment and subconsciously sway viewers’ opinions, and it’s politicians’ job to curate traps to influence voters.So, it’s cardinal for voters to be aware of misinformation and make sure to use reliable sources as opposed to solely relying on social media for updates.
