According to a study done by Pew Research, eight in ten adults in the U.S. use YouTube, almost 70% use Facebook, half use Instagram and one-third use TikTok. These statistics mean that millions of Americans are on social media apps daily. What we see on social media can directly affect and influence our thoughts and behaviors. According to an article by Penn State, influencers “who create or share distorted political messages may cause political parties to moderate their policies to win over independent voters in general elections but tend to polarize the rest of society.” Influencers, and what they post, are likely to cater to their followers, but can also reach anyone on social media apps. I feel that influencers showing support for politicians on social media are some of the most impactful endorsements since there is such a wide audience on social media platforms. In the modern day of widely available technology almost anyone can create a podcast, which I think has its benefits as well as its losses.
According to AdWeek, “Today, podcasts and podcast hosts are flexing their influence and reach through long-form audio formats galvanizing millions of listeners and personalizing candidates’ platforms.” In my opinion, podcast hosts now have the same power or more power than popular YouTubers or TV News. Bloomberg coined this election the “podcast election” since the presidential candidates did several interviews with podcast hosts to record for their podcast episodes. Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris was interviewed by Alex Cooper on her podcast “Call Her Daddy” in the beginning of October, 2024. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was interviewed by Joe Rogan on his podcast “Joe Rogan Experience” in late October, 2024. A clip of the Harris interview on the official “Call Her Daddy” Youtube channel currently has almost 900 000 views while the Trump episode of the “Joe Rogan Experience” has 50 million views. According to Forbes, the “Call Her Daddy” podcast was the second most popular podcast on Spotify in October but has moved down the charts. According to the podcast charts for the United States on Spotify, “The Joe Rogan Experience” ranks number one and “Call Her Daddy” ranks number 30 as of Nov. 18, 2024.
Social media often drives division about many topics, especially politics, but it can also help people find common ground. Buzzfeed recently covered a phenomenon that has gone viral among women on social media apps as they abruptly woke up in the middle of election night. According to Buzzfeed, “thousands of women shared that they, too, had similar experiences waking up around the time Trump's win was announced already knowing the outcome.” Both my mom and I had similar experiences as we woke up with anticipation and quickly checked our phones for election updates. Knowing that other people were feeling similar emotions always helps me cope with the emotions I am having. Social media in this case can help people know that there are people out there living a similar experience with whom you can relate to.
I think that social media can be a great place to communicate and learn but we need to be careful about what we trust on social media platforms. The bubbles that users are in on social media platforms can also influence emotions, as we have seen in this election. According to an article from The Verge, voters “underestimated how convincingly something like TikTok’s feed could build a world that didn’t quite exist” and also noted that “in the wake of Harris’ defeat, they’re mourning its loss, too.” I realized after election day that I had also been in an echo chamber on all the social media platforms that I use as I was hopeful, and almost optimistic, that Harris would win. BBC reported on TikTok’s influence in the election as well, stating that “TikTok is engaging a new generation in the democratic process. Whether you use the social media app or not, what is unfolding on its site could shape narratives about the election and its candidates - including in ways that may be unfounded.” X, formerly Twitter, also had a big effect on this election as the new owner, Elon Musk, arguably created an echo chamber of its own, with The Verge article noting that Musk has content boosted himself. “The slant on X was a deliberate electoral strategy that paid off handsomely for Musk,” according to the same The Verge article.
Personally, I use AP News as a source when I feel the need to fact-check something I saw on social media. I advise people to fact-check as much as possible to try to approach what they view on social media with an open mind and limit what they are viewing if it is negatively affecting their mental well-being.
By Kailey Wurr, A&E Editor
Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC
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