While sending messages by bird may seem a few decades outdated, one iconic blue bird has radically altered the way presidential candidates present themselves and interact with voters today in 2016; of course, I’m talking about Twitter.
Back in 2008, then Senator Obama first utilized the art of social media campaigning to reach out to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube users through short ads with little to no costs and incredibly effective results. Fast forward eight years later, and candidates seeking positions in all levels of government use social media to connect with voters on a personal level, hosting live chats, responding to Q&A’s on Facebook and Twitter, and trying to one-up each other with funny gifs about their opponent’s latest gaff.
Taking this trend to the next level and then some, Donald Trump dived into the political scene last year with fiery tweets aimed at each of his Republican opponents, producing instant viral classics such as #lyin’ted and #LowEnergyJeb, cementing the role of Twitter in the 2016 election cycle. Beyond playground-style bullying, Trump would go on to evolve his uncensored attacks to targeting Democrats such as Senator Elizabeth Warren. From the flames, radiant Twitter feuds have been conceived like black holes developing from collapsing supernovas—but it only gets better.
Hours after Hillary Clinton became the presumptive Democratic nominee, (although Senator Sanders would still argue otherwise) Trump turned his full tweeting attention to mocking Clinton, saying: “Obama just endorsed Crooked Hillary. He wants four more years of Obama—but nobody else does!” Clinton’s response, now the most retweeted tweet of the entire campaign, “Delete your account,” made headlines across the country and testifies to the ease with which Clinton’s “no tolerance” anti-Trump campaign strategy reached the eyes of over 900,000 Twitter users with not a penny spent.
All in all, Twitter serves as a method for political candidates to get out from behind their teams of speechwriters, PR specialists, and aids, if they’re willing, and to connect with voters on a national scale, all the while “circumventing traditional media.” The obvious drawback associated with this incredible gift to campaign funds, however, is the massive backlash that ensues a single reckless tweet. Take, for example, Mr. Trump’s response to the Orlando shooting late Sunday night after 49 innocent civilians were brutally murdered: “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance.” News outlets have jumped on the humble brag for being the antithesis of what one would expect from a presidential hopeful after a national crisis, comparing his remarks with those of Hillary Clinton and concluding that his stance is entirely inappropriate for the situation.
As polls continue to fluctuate, will the Twitter feuds and gaffs strewn throughout the campaign trail go on to haunt or help the presidential hopefuls come November? Perhaps most importantly, how will Twitter continue to change the landscape of U.S. politics in elections to come? Leave your opinions in the comments below to continue the debate on social media in the 2016 presidential campaign.
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