If you’re like me and spend a portion of your day scrolling through the endless memes and news that constantly flow through the Twittersphere, you’ve probably already seen the dispute between Ariana Grande and Soulja Boy over her suspiciously familiar musical flow in her new song “7 Rings.” The rapper caught wind of the song’s similarity to his track “Pretty Boy Swag” and immediately called her out. I believe the situation can best be summarized by this tweet:
However, this common type of exchange, one characterized by hostility and humor at the same time, no longer applies only to celebrities and singers. The social media platform has taken on new meaning since politicians began to take advantage of its communicative nature and ability to dissolve geographic barriers.
Only one year after Jack Dorsey, the founder of the influential app, released the first tweet in 2006, Barack Obama changed the game by beginning the first ever presidential campaign via Twitter. The future president set a precedent for all politicians, who now needed the platform to better facilitate the spread of their ideals and communication with their constituents, many of whom are a part of the generation bringing a new wave of political thought to the booths. More importantly, it has made way for intellectual political thought to make its way to citizens quickly and effectively. Take this display from our current president–one of many, many similar tweets.
On a more serious note, politicians truly can have meaningful conversations that are now more transparent than ever. This guard against corruption on such an accessible platform is more necessary than ever in the present political climate, but often it’s not as beneficial for politicians. Although concise messages can be effective in reaching a target audience, sometimes those messages aren’t exactly meant to be seen. The Washington Post mentions one of these instances concerning Anthony Weiner, a New York congressman, who resigned after a “lewd photo” was displayed on the timelines of his followers. Yikes. There was also that time the National Republican Senatorial Committee tweeted that “Tammy Duckworth has a sad record of not standing up for our veterans.” Tammy lost both legs fighting in Iraq. Double yikes. When campaigns are based on sharing thoughts with the world with the touch of a button, politicians need to be more careful than ever.
Political figures aren’t the only ones who grabbed the opportunity to reach people all over the world when they saw the chance. Movements of all shapes and sizes have taken to Twitter to galvanize support and encourage protest against discrimination and injustices marginalized groups face every day. The 2011 Occupy Movement, which protested social inequality and corporate greed, began on Wall Street and, because of social media platforms, was able to spread to more than 80 countries as a worldwide “Day of Rage” transpired and the cause was extended to lack of democracy and other economic issues. Twitter ensured that direct action could be successful and messages associated with the movement were heard beyond national borders.
The Black Lives Matter Movement took advantage of the same platform, proving so by the fact that in the ten years since the app’s inception (2016), the third most used social-issue hashtag was #BlackLivesMatter. Users have since seen the use of countless hashtags to display discontent with society, government, politics–you name it. Although there is much debate over whether social media is toxic to society, Twitter continues to grow as not only a way to keep in touch with others, but also as a news outlet and primary source of information about global events for many of its users. Sabina Khan-Ibarra, a writer for the Huffington Post, admitted to her jealousy toward her spouse for his refusal to partake in social media usage, which was soon replaced with pity when she realized he was unaware of the Israel-Gaza conflict happening at the time because of this lifestyle. The power of media to direct attention toward or away from certain events has in part shifted to the people, who now determine what deserves conversation. You don’t have to physically protest if you’re unable to leave the home or live somewhere you cannot take action. The restraints are lifted by an electronic contribution of 140 characters.
Whether you’ve partaken in any discourse through the use of Twitter and its unifying hashtags or see it as a threat to intellectual political conversation, its impact cannot go unobserved and will undoubtedly continue to serve as a vital tool for politicians and protestors alike. With the ability to analyze who sees and interacts with each tweet and hire staff to maintain a social media presence, political figures view the app as an invaluable asset for campaigns. The low cost of working on projects through the platform is beneficial to whoever is aiming to gather momentum for a cause they are passionate about. With constant advancements and application updates, time will tell where socially conscious celebrities, leaders, and political figures will run to with Twitter.
Featured Image Credit:
“Protestors Holding Picketed Signs with Twitter Logo.” Vivienne K Neale, viviennekneale.com/2016/11/29/why-brands-should-avoid-politics-on-twitter/.
Caroline Camp
March 12, 2019 — 12:50 pm
The impact of social media, and Twitter specifically, on the spread of information at such a rapid pace is so interesting to examine and will now need to be a part of any discussion of politics, social movements, and cultural events. Twitter has incredible power, and learning how to harness it and use it for good is something that we should continue to work towards as a society.
gec5148
March 12, 2019 — 12:58 pm
I agree that social media, especially Twitter, have heavily influenced the political landscape these past few years. It’s vital for politicians to have a social media presence, and often that’s how they even gain publicity in the first place. Younger politicians especially, like AOC, are truly using the platform to their advantage because they know how to interact online. In fact, most people tend to get the majority of their news through social media, and Twitter is essentially the perfect place for quick highlights of important events. The dangers of this are pretty severe however, because can we truly understand something just by reading 140 characters? Twitter has the means to completely shift the conversation and boost a political movement through just one tweet. Messages go viral and attract a younger audience, which helps lesser known politicians and activism groups. Twitter will definitely continue to be an integral part in how we obtain news and spread awareness, but I think it is still unclear if this role should be continued or controlled.