Scrolling to the polls
Social media's impact on presidential campaigns
Every election cycle, presidential candidates work tirelessly to campaign with the goal of gaining enough attention based on their issues and mobilizing supporters come November. The heart of the matter has stayed consistent, but the key difference lies in the how.
Social media is a fairly new factor for campaign teams to consider and is continuously being utilized because of its success factor. This is now the most successful way to gain real life "followers" in that 18-24 year old demographic. In February, the Biden Campaign made a TikTok account that is purposely geared towards this audience with an attempt to get the younger generation excited about the 2024 election.
With that being said, it is important to recognize the methods that have led to the rise of social media and how people got their news before it was at their fingertips.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden campaigning for presidency in 2020. Courtesy of AP Photo.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden campaigning for presidency in 2020. Courtesy of AP Photo.
Courtesy of @BidenHQ on TikTok
Courtesy of @BidenHQ on TikTok
In a survey that I sent out to college aged students, 87.5% said they plan on voting in this upcoming election. The same survey also concluded that 87.2% of these students get their news primarily from social media.
Former President Barack Obama went on the "Smartless" podcast with both Biden and Former President Bill Clinton to discuss the upcoming election. One element they all pointed out is the campaigning difference between when they ran for office versus now.
The shift to social media
The 2016 election cycle was an influential year for the use of social media during presidential campaigns, as voters had more access than ever to candidates in real time. Former President Donald Trump was a major factor in this fostered focus on social media as a campaign strategy, according to Dr. Michael Traugott, a political science professor and co-author of the book “Words That Matter: How the News and Social Media Shaped the 2016 Election.” The book works to explore how media content can shape election outcomes in a society where 58% of Americans in total prefer digital devices over TV, radio or printed publications, according to Pew Research.
Political journalists vs. political influencers
The social media political sphere ranges from established news organizations to citizen journalists following their passion. It is important for people to know who they are following and where they are getting their information from. My survey gathered that most college students do not care enough to fact check the stories they hear while scrolling.
Two TikTok political influencers, Claudio Vallejo and Chrissy Clark, gave their reasons as to why they post politically focused content and their opinion on the use of social media as a campaign strategy for both the Democratic and Republican candidates.
What inspired you to start posting politically focused news?
Chrissy Clark
@chrissyclark_
"I believe that not a lot of conservative organizations or groups want to be on TikTok because there's a stigma against it in conservative circles. So I took it as an opportunity to be a brave creator and put content out there where other people wouldn't. I also believe that conservatives can't change the culture by sticking their head in the sand, we need to go where culture is to change culture."
Claudio Vallejo
@whatsupcv
"I am very passionate about politics and began following it closely after the 2008 election. I view sharing and speaking on political news via social media as a hobby and hope that I am contributing to my country in a positive way by doing so. I also recognize the climate of our nation politically, and the division is due to people’s refusal to hear all sides of an issue. I try to combat this on my platform by including both left and right wing news sources."
Photo courtesy of @chrissyclark_ on TikTok
Photo courtesy of @chrissyclark_ on TikTok
Photo courtesy of @whatsupcv on TikTok
Photo courtesy of @whatsupcv on TikTok
What does the TikTok political sphere look like to you?
Clark
"TikTok is a very biased app with a very biased algorithm. I see people on there who get boosted for their political views, whereas I feel I get demoted in the algorithm because of my views. I mostly just report news stories in a factual way and constantly get videos taken down for "hate speech," which makes it really hard to grow on the app. I often get dinged for "hate speech" for any videos I put out about the Israel-Gaza war as well. I get the most active hate on TikTok, which is ironic given that the platform bills itself as the nicest platform of them all."
Vallejo
"I view TikTok as a perfect place to get your news. I think there is a difference in how Gen Z prefers to get their news versus our grandparents generation which must be recognized. We also underestimate how helpful it is to have experts on certain topics on our feeds. On the flip side, it is also easy to get sucked into an echo chamber or silo that only works to validate one’s opinion rather than inform."
What is your opinion on presidential candidates utilizing TikTok as a campaign strategy?
Clark
"I think it's smart to utilize any social media to push a campaign. If Biden or Trump pushes their opinions and agenda on TikTok, I have no problem with that. Where it becomes an issue is when the Biden administration pays influencers to push their campaigns and doesn't require these influencers to disclose that they're pushing the Biden administration's agenda. That's manipulation. And I would say the same thing of the Trump campaign if they were doing that as well."
Vallejo
"Social media is a great way for candidates to get their message to voters, especially those of a younger generation. TikTok has been very useful for me in terms of viewership, so there is a great influence candidates can have on the nation when utilizing TikTok versus other platforms such as Instagram or X. Biden’s move to make a TikTok account as a campaign strategy in the midst of trying to ban the app has left those confused, but a good move with the goal of reaching people in the 18-24 year old age range."
If Biden/Trump reached out to you to endorse him, would you do it? Why or why not?
Clark
"Absolutely not. My job is to report the facts from a right-of-center position. While I have a political slant, my job is not to endorse candidates or certain policies."
Vallejo
"Yes, I would accept an endorsement because it's a great way to get people to the polls and provides another outlet for users to learn more about specific candidates."
Looking ahead to the 2024 election
The survey that I conducted prompted students for their opinion on the use of social media during presidential campaigns. 57% think of it as a great tool to mobilize people in the 18-24 year old age range, while 32% said algorithms get too specific to campaign successfully and 10% were indifferent to the matter.
These are various quotes from students when asked to expand on their answer to the previous question.
The use of social media will be prominent when gathering information for the 2024 election, even when considering the TikTok ban bill that recently went through congress and earned a signature from Biden. TikTok will not disappear from our phones just yet, as the bill states that it has nine months to be sold before facing a national ban. This timeline puts us past the election in November.
"Social media is a great way for candidates to get the attention of the 18-24 demographic, but it's not a good place for an undecided voter to formulate their opinion on a subject or candidate. "
"People can often be swayed by celebrity presence on social media and when they use people for certain content then constituents are more willing to vote for candidates with a flashy online presence and not for what could actually benefit the country."
"There's a lot of danger with people only getting their information via social media because due to everyone's unique eco chamber, it's easy for a voter to believe everyone agrees with a certain opinion or candidate because that's all that comes up on their feed."
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