By Julia Piórko Bermig
In the digital age, social media is integral to our daily lives, changing the foundation of campaign politics. Newcomers and populists alike can leverage social media’s virality and outreach to establish themselves, raise funds and raise awareness. Many have turned to short-form video clips such as Tiktoks, following the latest trends of dancing around to cartoonishly sped-up classics. Is this just another ploy to relate to younger generations? Is this just wise campaigning? Or is it something far more dangerous?
The Great Equaliser?
Since roughly 2008, social media has been a significant tool in election campaign strategy; experts suggest it helped Obama win.
University of Pennsylvania professor Dr. Yildirim studies how social media is changing how politicians communicate with their electorate. “You don’t have to have the big money, big bucks, big fundraisers, big supporters to be able to communicate on Twitter with your constituency”, she says. Thus social media can be a starting point for grassroots campaigns and those with no political experience.
The effect of such political messaging can be seen through the spread of the #MeToo movement, which originated online and entered the cultural zeitgeist, and created meaningful change to address sexual assault. The hashtag was originally used by community organizer Tarana Burke but catapulted into the mainstream after actress Alyssa Milano encouraged women to come forward and share their experiences. The grassroots movement led to a long overdue international dialogue, surrounding the accountability of high-profile individuals and institutions.. Furthermore, political newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used social media platforms to build a strong following and ultimately rally enough constituents to win her seat in the US House of Representatives.
This sort of communication can also be an educational way to engage otherwise politically disinterested or unengaged audiences. For example, US Congressman Jeff Jackson gained prominence on Tiktok and Instagram for his insightful and remarkably unbiased updates on key issues and congressional hearings from an insider perspective.
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