During the 2024 election, your vote might not be influenced by a debate or campaign ad, but by the algorithm behind your social media feed. In recent months, political content has overwhelmed millions of voters through popular platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. As a result, the power of a single post or creator could sway entire demographics completely altering the election like never before.
As the election draws near, both political parties have clearly recognized the power of social media and are leveraging it to their advantage. Through influencers, curated content and targeted ads, both the Harris and Trump campaigns have harnessed social media platforms to amplify their voices and sway public opinion.
#Kamalaisbrat, is just one of the few ways that the Harris campaign has been utilizing social media to their advantage. Popular artist Charli XCX took to social media to vocalize her support for the Harris campaign by creating a slogan that aligned with her new album “Brat”.
TikTok users have also coined the Harris campaign as a ‘Femininomenon.’ Countless videos containing iconic clips of Kamala have been edited together with Chappel Roan’s hit song, Femininomenon. These videos have been going viral on TikTok, portraying Harris as a feminist icon. This marketing strategy celebrates women in a time when our reproductive rights are actively being threatened. By keeping up with social trends, and even starting some of their own, the Harris campaign has had a large appeal to younger voters.
On the other side, the Trump campaign has also used social media to secure votes from a younger audience. For example, popular Twitch streamer Adin Ross has not only publicly announced his support for Donald Trump, but featured him on one of his streams. This was a huge publicity move for both Ross and Trump with almost 600,000 viewers watching the stream live. Trump’s appearance on the stream reached a wide young audience that most likely would not have engaged with traditional media such as TV news or online articles. The stream also gave Trump the unique opportunity to appear in a more casual and laid-back setting. To younger viewers, Trump may have appeared more relatable and approachable. Most importantly, the presidential candidate was able to communicate with viewers in real-time through live chat and comments. This unusual collab allowed for the Trump campaign to both tap into its younger digital-based audience and appear relevant by connecting with popular youth culture.
Videos and memes posted by presidential candidates and their supporters can rack up millions of likes, views, and shares. Even though both the Harris and Trump campaigns are extremely active on social media, voters don’t always have access to the same content. Almost all social media platforms use an algorithm to optimize the type, timing and delivery of content consumed by their users. Social media algorithms may be beneficial for a chef to stay current with new recipes or for a tattoo artist seeking inspiration from other local artists. But they aren’t so beneficial for a college student who relies solely on their TikTok For You Page for news updates. Although algorithms are amazing at presenting tailored content to users, they often fail to offer other perspectives and ideas outside your own.
Because social media algorithms tend to show users content that aligns with views while avoiding content that doesn’t, they reinforce people’s existing beliefs while drowning out views from opposing perspectives. This echo chamber phenomenon leads to voters only seeing one side of an issue, not allowing any chance for constructive dialogue or an opportunity to diversify their opinions. However, echo chambers do amplify the spread of misinformation. When social media users only interact with like-minded people, false or misleading information can easily spread unchecked. Additionally, if a voter constantly sees that their candidate is “winning” or that the opposing side has no chance, then they might be less likely to vote because they may think that their vote isn’t even needed.
Although social media has played a very important role in making politics more approachable and familiar to young voters, social media’s tendency to foster echo chambers and political polarization alienates young voters, threatening youth engagement and election turnout. Fortunately, there are many ways to combat this, one of which is easier than you may think. Instead of relying solely on X or TikTok for your political information, try and diversify the accounts, apps, and news outlets that you typically visit. When you actively seek out content outside of your views, the algorithm will curate new diverse content based on your engagement. Most importantly, be sure to fact-check information before sharing it with others, especially on social media. Factcheck.org is an amazing website for the accuracy of political information that you may find online.
With November 5th right around the corner, it has become vital to understand that social media is not only a platform to inform but to also isolate. Social media platforms amplify political extremes creating isolated environments where voters only encounter views that align with their own. But we can easily change that by stepping outside of our political bubbles and diversifying our perspectives. We should not use social media to divide us by our beliefs but as platforms for learning, growth, and connection in a time when the country seems more divided than ever.
