Last updated on January 9, 2024
Twitter (X) will either save democracy or be the reason it dies. As we gear up for the 2024 Presidential Elections, the political fire that is Twitter has reignited as candidates on both ends take to the platform with their takes on big ballot issues, publish slightly controversial shower thoughts for America to see, and have fun taking stabs at their opponents leading up to election day.
But behind the exciting, and thrillingly scandalous, entertainment that is watching politicians bicker on social media, lies a vastly overlooked platform that has the power to shape or break American democracy as we know it.
During the 2016 Presidential Elections, America saw its first, widespread Twitter battle of Presidential Candidates. As Americans got a good kick out of watching former President Trump and the then Democratic Party Nominee, Hilary Clinton, fight with their fast fingers on Twitter, they were unable to realize the power the tweets they read actually had on their perceptions of the elections, American government, and democracy as a whole. Very easily, in the less than 280 characters the platform allows per tweet, both Clinton and Trump were able to convince users to believe in political extremes, digest misleading political propaganda, and create polarizing divides between their supporters. Oftentimes, what one of these candidates wrote in a tweet had more of an impact on forwarding their campaign goals than what could have been achieved through an hour long campaign rally or public speech – hinting at the scary reality that Twitter, today, has a stronger chokehold on American politics than we ever could have originally imagined.
Twitter as a force for good, at least, Gen-z hopes
But that’s not to say that the platform should be entirely scrapped, censored, or prohibited. In fact, youth voters around the country are taking strides to reclaim and repurpose the platform to be a force for good. During the 2020 Presidential Elections, America saw the largest mobilization of youth voters across the country, not only showing up to the polls, but also making use of every platform possible to make their voices heard.
Youth activists have now leveraged platforms like Twitter and Instagram, amongst many others, as a means of connecting with voters across the country and communicating their messages of strength during election seasons. Even better? Today’s youth are using platforms like Twitter to raise awareness for issues that are crucial to the protection of American rights – like rights to abortion care and the necessity for gun control laws in the US.
Twitter can be saved
Looking at the heights young generations like gen-z have reached through social media, it’s safe to say that all hope for Twitter isn’t entirely lost. By empowering young people across America to reclaim the platform as a positive platform for change, this generation will be able to successfully renovate the app from what used to be a dark, dangerous, political battleground, to an influential platform that can help protect, nurture, and defend American democracy.
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