At the University of Maine, students and faculty may be reflecting on how social media shaped the 2024 presidential election, with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris leveraging platforms like TikTok and Instagram to influence voters. The growing importance of social media continues to spark debates around its impact on modern politics, a topic that several UMaine students and faculty members shared their thoughts on.
“There was nothing surprising about the way the campaigns employed social media, but a lot of their surrogates did a lot of effective work,” said Michael Socolow, a professor of journalism at UMaine.
With TikTok, X and Instagram in the hands of many voters, the forums were used in political campaigns more than ever in this election. Despite concerns, many believe social media can also serve as a powerful tool for communication, discussion and mobilization.
“Social media is a crucial communications mechanism all across American politics, not just for elections,” said Mark Brewer, a political science professor at UMaine.
Social media also comes with its disadvantages. This can include violence and miscommunication, with fake news spreading like wildfire. News Station CNBC stated in a recent article, “Social media companies like Meta, TikTok, X and YouTube are under intense pressure to handle what’s expected to be a flood of disinformation, heightened by the rise of artificial intelligence.”
Unlike commercial campaigns, social media is accessible to everyone. This makes it possible to produce and circulate AI videos and news stories about the presidential candidates.
Harris on social media
Harris seemed to cater to the younger crowd this year with her “Brat Summer” TikToks, and by having rappers like Meghan Thee Stallion perform at her rallies.
Marketing student Rebecca Scoular made an interesting point regarding Harris’ appeal to younger demographics.
“She catered directly towards our generation on TikTok in the way that she stayed on top of current trends. She also endorsed a lot of celebrities which seemed like a good marketing move at the time,” said Scoular.
Harris was also on Saturday Night Live with Maya Rudolph doing skits, which may have given voters a glimpse into her personable and humorous side.
Donald Trump Social Media
“One thing we do know is social media proved to be particularly important for both candidates for sure, but particularly for the Trump campaign in reaching younger voters. Particularly, it seemed like young male voters with things like the ‘Bro’ Podcast Universes,” said Brewer.
While Trump also kept up with TikTok trends, he made it a point to present on many podcasts this year such as an episode on the Joe Rogan Podcast, and maintained his image on social media throughout the campaign season.
“[With] each election cycle that goes by, the percentage of people that say that they get their primary source of news from social media keeps going up,” said Brewer.
The future role of social media in political campaigning remains uncertain, but its significant impact on the 2024 election seems apparent.
