Social media has drastically changed the political game in many different ways over the course of the last few years. From Instagram to Twitter to the recent emergence of Tiktok, social media has allowed more voices to be heard when it comes to politics. These are voices that, without the help of social media, might never have reached their current audience.

The media has always played an important role in politics and elections, from traditional media like newspapers and radio broadcasts to modern media like blogs and television. But with traditional media, it’s hard to reach a large demographic, let alone politicians’ target audience. However, this is made easy with modern social media, where anyone can advertise directly to a specific group of people.

The introduction of modern social media into politics has numerous benefits. Political campaigns utilize social media as a cheap and effective way of advertising. Politicians can be seen communicating with their constituents online and letting voters see a more personal side to them. From former President Donald Trump’s tweets to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) answering questions from social media users on Instagram, politicians are using social media to their advantage. At the same time, social media comes with many drawbacks: large online platforms make it very easy for false information to spread, especially to younger and more vulnerable voters.

The majority of Americans have access to the internet, along with access to social media, which is free. For a long time, politics was a rich man’s game. They needed a certain amount of money in order to launch a campaign and win. But the rise of social media makes it harder to gatekeep political information and easier for emerging politicians to get their name and platform out to voters. 

One 2020 study found that “social media can intensify political competition by lowering costs of disseminating information for new entrants to their constituents and thus may reduce the barriers to enter politics.” Social media allows for more candidates and more competition, which leads to more options for constituents to choose a politician that best represents them and their beliefs.

Many believe the positive effects of social media in politics outweigh the negatives. Seeing politicians post on social media can make constituents feel closer to them and think of politicians as ordinary people rather than high-profile statesmen. Although many may disagree with the way Donald Trump used Twitter as president, having a way to directly hear what a representative is thinking and doing from their perspective makes social media a valuable resource. It has the potential to be a useful tool in many situations, although it isn’t always used that way.

Social media can be a great tool when it comes to advertising, not only for individual politicians, but also for promoting political organizations. People can learn about numerous political organizations through social media, including the Institute for Youth in Policy (YIP). Not only can politicians reach out to voters, but political organizations can also spread their message through social media and raise awareness on different political and social issues.

Although there are positives to social media’s impact on politics, we cannot ignore the negative effects. It is easy for creators and influencers on social media apps to manipulate information, especially on apps where content is primarily seen by a younger audience. Young viewers are more likely to form a biased opinion based on manipulated or incorrect “facts” thanks to social media.

On social media, users have a very short attention span. Much like how headlines in articles are used to grab readers’ attention, over-exaggerated information, or “clickbait,” on social media is how creators get users to view their content. This tool can lead to sensationalist social media posts with very little basis in fact.

Social media gives all groups of people a platform, which has both advantages and disadvantages. Groups of people that have gone unheard for hundreds of years in politics finally have a platform to amplify their voices. But this also leaves room for hate groups and extremists to spread hatred, fake news, and propaganda to spread their message and influence. Fact-checking is not always able to take down disinformation before it spreads, if it is able to take it down at all.

Social media can also make politics seem very hostile at times. It seems as if people with different political beliefs are always arguing rather than discussing. It is easy to argue and insult people over social media when users do not have to meet face-to-face. Politics on social media can be misleading when people do not realize how different it is from politics in real life.

To illustrate social media’s impact on politics, look no further than the 2008 presidential election. According to the Stanford Graduate School of Business, before 2008, Barack Obama was an unfamiliar name to most as a senator running for president. One of the factors that contributed to his success was his team’s use of social media and technology as a key part of their campaign strategy. They used social media to raise money, recruit volunteers, and expand Obama’s voter base by reaching out to current voters.  Obama was the first presidential candidate to use social media on the campaign trail to his advantage.

Flash forward to Trump’s Twitter account. Rather than having voters interpret what he was saying, Donald Trump used Twitter as a way to directly reach his supporters. Occasio-Cortez is another example of a popular politician on social media, especially among younger and future voters. Currently, AOC has 8.8 million followers on Instagram and 12.6 million on Twitter. Through these platforms, she is able to answer her constituents’ questions and continue to help shape future voters, politicians, and activists. 

Overall, social media has a large influence over American politics. Although social media can be a vessel for spreading misinformation, it is also a tool for politicians to engage with and inform the constituents they represent. So, what does social media mean for politics in the future? It will probably continue to allow politicians and voters to have a bigger voice on different political issues, leveling the playing field of politics for everyone to participate in.