Pro – Ella Harner | Staff Writer
Social media is not just for funny memes and selfies, it is a powerful resource that can change the entire basis of how we learn and engage in everything, including politics. For many people, it may be their main way of communicating online. This widespread use of social media has pros and cons, but one of the best things to come out of this craze is the attention it has brought to politics.
While other generations might stick to the daily news, Generation Z and Millennials consume most of their news on various social media platforms, according to Statista. From accounts focused on how to register to vote, to public relations teams hired to run presidential candidates’ TikTok accounts, politics is all over social media.
When it comes to this political craze on social media, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, has a verified TikTok account in her favor with the username @kamalahq that follows popular trends among Gen Z, aimed to promote the Harris campaign. While the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, and Harris do not have similar views, they do have one thing in common: joining TikTok trends, as there is a similar account to @kamalahq promoting the Trump campaign under the username @teamtrump. The presidential candidates, arguably two of the biggest political figures in America today, post TikToks to support their campaigns on the accounts @kamalaharris and @realdonaldtrump. These short videos range in topics: dramatic edits, monthly recaps and the general hyping up of their campaigns. However, they both have the same end goal — they want to get voters to the polls in hopes this election will end with a win in their favor.
In my opinion, social media helps drive people to engage in politics. Not only do the presidential candidates make videos about their campaigns, but social media influencers contribute to creating content as well. According to NBC News, influencers were given full-access passes at the Democratic convention. The article explained the pass gave creators time to express their opinions and experiences of what was happening behind the scenes at the convention. Having creators post about the importance of being educated on politics in America can inspire younger voters to want to do the same, according to NBC News.
According to the Tisch College Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 27% of youth ages 18-29 voted in the 2022 election, making the 2022 election the second highest voter turnout for youth in three decades. Additionally, according to CIRCLE, 41 million Gen Zs will be eligible to vote in the upcoming election, which is over 8 million new and available voters compared to the 2022 midterms. If these statistics show one thing, it is that youth are now a major determining factor of American politics.
Social media greatly influences Gen Z, so it is important to use these platforms to speak about all topics and hear multiple points of view. With the help of social media, minorities are able to share their opinions to a wider audience more successfully: with 45% of the new, eligible voters being people of color, it is important for their stories to be heard. Having social media so accessible to the public enables a faster way of communication.
Overall, the fact politics were introduced on social media is influential and revolutionary in the fight to increase political participation. It inspires people to get educated, helps people learn how to get registered to vote and gives them quick insights on things viewers may not have seen from the news yet. While social media is widely known as a tool for young people to share their new dances or makeup skills, it can also be a valuable tool to getting youth to know they have a voice.
Con – Luke Cooper | Online Editor
Getting young people to vote has been a large concern for Democratic campaigns, especially in the past few election cycles. Hillary Clinton’s “Pokémon Go to the polls” quote is still widely remembered. The Harris campaign has a new approach: instead of being turned into a meme, take over social media with them, like falling out of a coconut tree. It is a great approach to excite young people to vote, but my concern is whether they are actually making an informed decision.There is a shocking number of people who potentially could be voting based on internet culture alone.
Thus, this brings the rise of the “Femininomenon” — the social media meme that has taken TikTok by storm. According to Forbes, 60% of TikTok users are part of Generation Z. Campaigns that can use TikTok effectively have the potential to greatly impact the election. According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning Engagement, 41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote in the upcoming election.
It is important to get young people out to vote, but the way they consume news does not always give them the full picture. According to Pew Research, 48% of TikTok Users under the age of 30 say they use the platform to keep up with the news/stay informed. The main flaw of getting news via social media is the fact anyone has the ability to upload/post a video. Influencers and others on the app simply lack credibility compared to a news organization, but, seemingly, many people trust these social media stars for news despite whether they have actual education on the topics they cover or not.
When it comes to getting information, 61% of Gen Z gets its information from YouTube, but TikTok trails closely behind with 57%, according to SocialShere’s survey reported by NPR. The survey also found roughly a third of Gen Z wished it knew more about candidates and their ideologies in the previous election. What better way to get to know them than memes, right? Wrong. Candidates can and will spin news however they want (as will third-rate journalists), so the best bet is to seek out a credible news organization on social media to become informed. They might not report everything, seeking out local news or as a last resort the candidate’s website provides a candidate’s stances.
According to Pew Research, 88% of people under 30 who use TikTok say they have seen funny posts related to the election, and the same amount say they have seen people expressing their opinions on social media. Roughly 65-70% see either breaking news or real news articles. According to the same article by Pew Research, 33% of people overall say TikTok has a positive impact on democracy with 45% of people under age 30 approving of that statement. This leaves a considerable portion of this crucial voter demographic who can go to the polls based on internet culture.
It may be a small percentage of people, but it means millions of people may vote, basing their decision on internet culture alone. It poses a threat to elections, and it should be fixed sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, living a free market capitalist society means news organizations need to step up their game. It is widely accepted that social media algorithms show people content it thinks they are seeking. This creates the possibility of echo chambers.
People will do as they please and research what they decide. Keeping up with current headlines, however, seems to be too inconvenient to actually read. Some people will devote more time to internet culture rhetoric rather than fixing the actual issues affecting them and the people they love. Memes are great, getting young people to vote is great. These are two topics that should stay separate if possible, like oil and water.
