Yes
Presidential candidates have one mission: to win elections. Through rallies, speeches, and the use of social media, they persuade voters that they are the best choice for the future of the United States of America. President Obama was the first "social media president,” meaning he was the first to have the POTUS account handle Twitter and to livestream from the Oval Office. Since Obama was elected in 2008, social media has only become more popular. Trusting candidates to appropriately use social media is difficult, especially when their goal is to persuade voters, thus it is crucial candidates' access to social media is limited.
Social media was originally created as a way to connect people with their friends, but now, social media’s emphasis has shifted. According to a joint study between Reuters and Oxford University, 57 percent of American 18-24 year-olds, roughly eight million people, use social media as their first contact with news in the morning.
Clickbait has become weaponized. It is aimed to trigger an emotional response from the user, and such has become more popular with politicians because it can quickly influence users while they are scrolling. Using clickbait as a marketing tactic is unethical because it encourages users to post “whatever it takes” to get attention rather than accurate information. The clickbait phenomena gets questionable when we allow U.S. presidents to use social media platforms to promote themselves. For example, in 2020, Twitter flagged former President Trump’s tweet claiming that mail-in ballots are fraudulent, issuing a “fact-checking warning.” Trump accused Twitter of “stifling free speech,” even though he spread misinformation through his clickbait to more than 80 million followers on the social media platform.
Presidential candidates not only manipulate statistics but also wholeheartedly adopt social media trends into their campaigns to engage younger voters. Kamala Harris adopted the “brat” identity which originated from Charli XCX’s latest album titled “BRAT.” Charli described it as, “(a) girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it,” on Tiktok. It is unsettling to equate a POTUS candidate with informal social media trends, especially considering the importance of their job.
Another way of engaging with citizens on social media is memeification, the process of turning everything into a meme. Recently, Trump shared artificial intelligence-generated memes on his social media that depicted a cat holding an automatic weapon and wearing a branded “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat. It went viral quickly along with a couple more images. This makes a joke out of gun control, and the army, the stigmatized issue of gun control rather than seriously thinking of solutions.
Generally, social media does allow candidates to engage with younger audiences. An article published by Harvard states only 54 percent of young Americans will “definitely be voting” in the 2024 election which proves that candidates need to improve their outreach to this age group. However, that doesn’t mean social media is the correct tool to utilize. This issue of voter engagement is deeply rooted in American educational systems. A better and more sustainable solution is for high schools to have mandated discussions surrounding a voter’s responsibility and non-biased politics in the curriculum. Thus, when students turn 18 they thoroughly understand how to filter out fake news and clickbait, that is attempting to persuade them on social media to make informed decisions before voting.
Using social media can be seen as unprofessional and juxtaposes the standard of formality that is usually expected in politics. If citizens base their vote on popularity or news they see on social media, the elected president could be unfit for the position. Further, the electee will have a lot of power, the ability to decide people’s rights in America, and form Americans reputation in foreign affairs: in other words, irreversible political effects.
No
As election day draws closer, political candidates scramble to secure all the votes that they can. Targeting specific voter demographics with tailored campaign tactics is common. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are taking their outreach digital, using social media to connect with the younger electorate. By using memes and tapping into viral trends, both candidates aim to resonate with the young generation, who thrives on online engagement and quick, relatable content. These social media campaigning tactics attract a younger audience to vote for the candidate, which can change the course of the whole election, as young adults make up a good portion of eligible voters in the United States.
In early June 2024, Charli XCX released her album “Brat.” The album’s massive success led to it becoming a large part of modern pop culture, because of the model it set for young women. On July 21st, 2024, Charli tweeted “Kamala IS brat.” This celebrity endorsement was a perfect opportunity for Harris to gain a significant amount of younger votes, as many young women look up to Charli and the idea of being a “brat.” Soon after, Harris leaned heavily into this endorsement; changing the picture on her X account to a brat-themed background and posting edits of her speech clips mixed with Charli XCX’s songs.
These strategies have been working for Harris. In a USA Today/Suffolk University poll, Gen Z voters went from supporting Trump when pitted against Biden by 11 percent on Sunday, June 30, 2024 to supporting Harris against Trump by 13 percent on Thursday, August 29, 2024. This means that celebrity endorsements helped create a 24 percent difference in who Gen Z wants to vote for. The incorporation of familiar pop culture into the Harris-Walz campaign was a great idea, because of the outreach potential and positive impact that it had on Gen Z voters.
Similarly, Republican candidate Donald Trump is also attempting to use similar methods to Harris to appeal to younger voters. Hours before the presidential debate, Trump tweeted artificial intelligence-generated memes of a cat with a firearm and a maga hat, followed by one of himself surrounded by cats and ducks on a plane. These attempts to reach a younger audience were also apparently met well, with many people responding positively to his tweets.
Some may argue that strategies like these on social media may detract from a presidential candidate’s credibility. After all, seeing a candidate post an AI-generated photo of a cat with a firearm before the presidential debate isn’t reassuring if you want to take them seriously. However, the tremendous positive impact that these posts have made far outweighs any harm that could’ve come to a candidate’s campaign. Others may argue that social media has no accountability and that politicians can spread fake news or false personas of themselves. While social media may be able to spread misinformation, it also encourages users to fact-check and hold politicians accountable, causing a more informed electoral body. In addition, many social media platforms are actively implementing measures to remove fake news from their servers.
There is an untapped potential in Gen Z voter support for presidential candidates. In the 2020 presidential election, voters under 25 were half as likely to vote as voters over the age of 65. An efficient way to reach this denomination of people is through hopping on social media trends, such as #bratsummer, on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X. This would show substantial improvements in overall productivity for candidates in getting the younger generation out to vote for them, while not affecting the opinions of the older generations.
The use of social media by politicians like Kamala Harris and Donald Trump illustrates a strategic effort to engage younger voters. By tapping into pop culture and celebrity endorsements, such as Charli XCX’s support for Harris, presidential candidates can create and post content that resonates with Gen Z. The 24 percent shift in voter preference for Harris following this endorsement highlights the effectiveness of these tactics. With over half of young adults relying on social media for news, this trend presents a crucial opportunity for candidates to enhance political participation among younger voters, shaping the future of elections in the United States.