The Power of 140 Characters
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/22/watch-why-social-media-is-donald-trumps-most-powerful-weapon/ Keely Lockhart’s September 2016 piece from The Guardian sheds some light on the role social media has played in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race. The article and accompanying video argue that social media has helped facilitate the rise of Donald Trump as a major presidential candidate, essentially creating $3.4 billion of free media coverage over the past year. In addition, the article includes a study of which Twitter posts are created by campaign staff and which come directly from Trump himself. His staff seem to film from an iPhone camera, using much less aggressive dialogue, while Trump uses an Android phone, boasting aggressive attacks, which have become some of the most covered posts of this election cycle.
Clearly, the influence of social media in politics has been a growing phenomenon in different parts of the world. At its essence, it speaks to the influence of popular culture on the mind of the average voter. But this piece, coming from a European media outlet, certainly showcases the extent of its influence within the United States. It’s a tool that’s been used by businesses to cover new markets internationally. But it’s also been used by terror networks for recruitment and by other individuals to spread messages of hate.
Thus, such topics relate to an issue of the extent to which the internet should be governed. The fact that sets of 140 characters could potentially influence who becomes the next leader of the free world speaks volumes to social media’s international power.