How Social Media Will Change the 2024 Presidential Election in the United States

A new presidential election, due in November 2024, is fast approaching, and boy—social media has come up trumps again. 

From Instagram posts to TikTok videos, what began as an easy means of sharing photos and memes has turned into an integral part of political campaigns. 

Let's look deeper at what social media is doing with this election and what it means for us as voters.

A Brief History of Social Media in Politics

Long has been the journey of social media in politics. One remembers when, in 2008, Barack Obama used Facebook to organize his supporters. 

This was only the beginning. Within a few years, social media evolved from simply being a place to connect with friends to much greater at the hands of an individual seeking to influence public opinion. 

Come 2024, candidates are trying out new ideas on these platforms to engage with voters.

 How Candidates Are Using Social Media

Today's candidates are beady masters of social media strategy, not just making a few updates. They create entirely new campaigns around these platforms. Here's how they do it:

 • Direct Engagement: Be it Kamala Harris posting a heartfelt video message or Donald Trump tweeting about the latest news, candidates are using social media to speak directly to the public. 

This real-time interaction will keep them connected with the voters and act quickly on any news item or controversy.

• Targeted Advertising: Ever wonder why those political ads just seem to be speaking your language? It's not magic. It's micro-targeting. 

Analyzing your internet surfing and other demographic information, social media platforms enable campaigns to push out ads that resonate with specific voter groups.

• Real-Time Responses: The immediacy of social media lets candidates take advantage of rapid response—quickly reacting to current events and opponent attacks. 

That fast response can pay off in significant ways in the minds of voters.

 Its Impact on Voter Behavior

With social media, campaigns are changing—so is the way people vote. Here's how: 

• Reaching Younger Voters: Younger voters are more likely to get their news from social media rather than traditional sources. That means a place like Instagram and TikTok are crucial in reaching this demographic. Candidates are increasingly tailoring their content in such a way that it will reach young voters who are quite active and engaging online.

• Mobilizing Support: Not just for memes, social media is a potent means of mobilizing support. Campaigns use these platforms to organize events, rally volunteers, and get out the vote.

Are social media polls reliable?

You may have noticed polls popping up on social media purporting to show public opinion. But how accurate are they? Here's what you need to know:

• Bias and Limitations: Most of the polls on social media are biased. They are not scientifically designed and, in most cases, reflect the opinions of some subset of its users rather than the general population. 

A vote may appear on Donald Trump's account that includes large numbers of votes by his followers, biasing the results.

• Bot effect: There has been an astonishing inflow of votes from bot farms, which in some polls can seriously artificially inflate the result. 

This can mislead the people about the actual public sentiment.

 Misinformation and disinformation

 Among the greatest tasks posed by social media relate to misinformation. Here's how it affects us:

• Spreading false information: Social media platforms can increase false information in a really quick way. Be it a misleading tweet or a doctored video, it's pretty easy for misinformation to go viral and affect the opinion of the general public.

• Navigating the Noise: Probably more important is the role of voters in verifying the information that comes their way. Seek credible sources and fact-check before you believe or share.

Candidate Strategies and Social Media

With less than a year until the elections, candidates are stepping up their social media strategy:

Trump vs. RFK Jr. vs. Kamala Harris: Strategies of Social Media for 2024

Donald Trump: Donald Trump remains a powerful voice on social media, utilizing platforms like Truth Social and X (formerly Twitter) to push forward his message. 

At the same time, the former president's game plan is much similar to what it has been in the past: bold, sometimes provocative posts that aim not just to fire up his base but to keep his presence front and centre. 

Direct engagement with the supporters is central to Trump's approach, using social media to post reactions to current events and controversies and to rally his followers around the themes of his campaign.

RFK Jr.: What Richard F. Kennedy Jr. does is use social media to advance his views concerning the natural environment and public health. 

A platform like X is used to share highly detailed content and drive conversations around climate change and vaccine safety, among many other things. 

What Kennedy did was more pedagogical and issue-oriented, trying to turn out voters passionate about certain issues and building a constituency around his policy ideas.

Kamala Harris: As an incumbent Vice President, social media is used in the election campaign of Kamala Harris to highlight her achievements and activities. 

Her campaign contains elements of traditional campaign messages together with modern engagement. Most of Harris's posts engage with issues related to her work in office, key policies, and reactions to current events. 

Her social media presence focuses on hammering down her record, looking to appeal to the broad swath of voters by touting what she has done in the administration and what she can do in the future.

New Platforms

TikTok comes into its own as a key battleground. When one considers the level of engagement that this platform has garnered among young users, it is little wonder that candidates are increasingly focusing on this platform to help sway opinion.

 Looking Ahead: What's Next for Social Media in Elections

 What's Next for Social Media and Elections? 

Voters' and candidates' interactions with one another will change as technology advances. The political landscape will shift as new platforms and tools emerge, replacing social media as the main focus.

Tips for Voters

 Here's how you can be safe on social media:

• Stay Informed: Follow legitimate news sources and verify information before taking it as factual information.

• Think Critically: Question biases and motives behind the content one views.

• Engage responsibly: Use social media for information and constructive discussion.

Conclusion

The effect of social media on the 2024 presidential election can't be denied. It's changing the way candidates campaign, how most of us engage with political content, and the way we view this election. As voters, it becomes quite paramount to remain informed and view social media with a cautious eye.

Your vote will count, so stay informed to ensure that it does!

Social Media and the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election: Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do Donald Trump and Kamala Harris use social media for their campaigns?

• Donald Trump uses social media to remain in the public eye, fire up his supporters, post updates with large frequency, write comments, and record videos to personally keep in touch with his base. Kamala Harris is also quite active on social media but focuses more on sharing her policies and accomplishments to attract voters. Both are using platforms like Twitter and Instagram to reach different groups of people.

2. Exactly what are the odds to bet on the 2024 presidential race?

• The current favourite is Donald Trump at -133, who is leading in the race. Next, there is Kamala Harris, not so far behind at +133. RFK Jr., a more minor candidate, has long odds at +3233, which indicates he has less of a chance of winning. These odds show that Trump and Harris are the main contenders.

 

3. How about the effect of social media on the prospects for someone like Trump and Harris?

• Social media allows candidates to disseminate their ideologies or mission statements and influence voters effectively. Trump has massive followership on various internet-based social networking sites, which he exploits to rouse his large base of followers. Harris uses social media to share issues and connect with people to build her support. Their relative effectiveness in doing so could make or mar their prospects during the election.

4. How does a social media platform take on false information in respect of elections?

• Social media platforms try to deal with false information by checking content and by fact-checkers. However, the dissemination of misinformation is so rapid that sometimes it changes the very perception of the voters towards the candidate. The overall election is impacted by the effectiveness of these measures.

5. Can social media polls predict who will win the election?

Social media polls always do not provide accurate results. Most of the time, scientific techniques to sample voters are not applied; hence, they are subject to bias. The traditional polls, with more robust techniques, are usually the better predictors of outcomes of the election. The social media polls may suggest trends but shouldn't be solely relied on to project the winner.

 6. How do social media influencers affect the election?

Social media influencers may manipulate the public's opinions through means of advocating or foregoing certain candidates to messages. Their support lends a boost to candidate visibility and appeal among young voters. It, in turn, affects the general perspective of the election by shifting voter perceptions of candidates.

7. How might voters ensure they're getting accurate information over social media?

• Voters should check for information from multiple sources to know whether it's accurate. One should look at news outlets and be wary of posts that seem extreme or too biased. A little extra research can help voters get a clearer picture of the candidates. 

8. How does negative campaigning on social media affect you?

• The negative campaigns might influence the attitudes of the citizens towards the candidates. Negative ads may sometimes defame the image of a candidate or even fuel momentum in the opponents. The art of making sure that such negative campaigning does not have too much impact lies in how well this situation is handled by the presidential candidates. A candidate who handles it poorly will end up losing on the ballot. 

9. How can voters effectively approach social media during election season?

• Voters should be wary of what they see on social media and always have a place where information is sought from somewhere else. Fact-checking and understanding that social media really can affect people's opinions greatly is important. Keeping well-informed with a balance of news sources will help voters make better decisions.