American politics are well into a digital age where social media has become a crucial tool for any candidate who wants to win an election. However, the increased role of social media in public affairs is worsening polarization and spreading misinformation.
That’s leading to rising tensions in the two-party system. As Pew Research reports, “Americans have rarely been as polarized as they are today,” and social media has only “exacerbated” it according to the Brookings Institution. But social media is also important for political campaigns targeting the youth vote.
Voters aged 18-24 tend to not turn out to the polls in large numbers. Only 23% of young voters cast a ballot in the 2022 midterm elections. With the potential to grow those the number of Gen Z votes dramatically, the candidates for president are leaning heavily into social media to attract members of that demographic to the polls.
Vice President Kamala Harris has jumped on numerous TikTok trends since she declared her candidacy, including the “brat”viral sensation based on Charli XCX’s newest album, even posting related memes. Harris also invited over 200 content creators from various platforms and sat them in the front row of the Democratic National Convention.
Former President Donald Trump has also been targeting young voters through social media. Trump has appeared multiple times on different influencers’ podcasts and streams. Trump also uses his own social media platform, Truth Social, to send out video memes and campaign ads to his potential supporters.
While social media offers an unprecedented opportunity for political engagement and outreach, it has also become a digital battlefield, contributing to the country’s partisan divides that continues to get deeper. according to a 2023 Axios report.
Social media intensifies political polarization by amplifying extreme views, which leads to a greater ideological divide, according to a research article by Dr. Sounman Hong, a professor in public policy at Yonsei University. It also reduces the exposure to other viewpoints, which makes it harder to bridge the divide if all someone is seeing is their ideals and beliefs.
An NYU Stern study conducted in 2021 concluded the same thing, saying social media has contributed to partisan polarization. It also reported that political “leaders” contributed too.
Now, both of the two major party candidates are active on social media, making it easier than ever to pour gasoline over the already blazing flames. Both campaigns have frequently used alienating language on social media, risking deepening our country’s polarization and making the spread of misinformation easier than ever before.
The New York Times reported that social media amplifies false content, with Yale insights saying social media platforms “inadvertently encourage users to spread misinformation.”
With that being said, there are specific kinds of social media content that push division.
False information and polarizing content on social media raises the temperature in an already scorching political climate, which is important as 46% of Gen Z turns to social media as its primary source of political information, according to a study by Michael Berman, a freelance writer.
Misinformation such as the claims about the 2020 election, AI imagery falsely depicting different celebrities endorsing candidates, and the Harris camp continually accusing Trump of being part of Project 2025 despite him repeatedly stating his non-involvement adds further rips in the fabric of American politics.
The Harris team and other Democrats have continually referred to Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, as “weird”, even pushing a fake story about Vance having intercourse with a couch.
Trump and his team have shared AI-generated content, including his opponents in prison jumpsuits and Harris giving a speech in front of communist flags, among many other fake pieces of content.
Where do we go from here? Social media allows us to reach one another, making it easier for politicians and their campaigns to grasp the minds of voters, but it can also be used to turn us against one another. It can even shape the very way we see reality.
American voters must cut through an awful lot of divisive, often angry, noise.
The challenge for voters is to navigate this landscape with discernment, ensuring that our political decisions are informed by fact rather than fiction.
As the election approaches, it is in the best interest of the republic to see past the vitriol and discourse that separates us, and instead look to have discussions that unite us. To quote President Abraham Lincoln, “A house divided against itself can not stand.”