As we read Hansons writing on how Donald Trump’s use of social media influenced the presidential election, it is necessary to recognize how this usage normalized day to day communication with a political candidate and later a president, and whether this is good or bad. Trump’s use of Twitter provided him free advertising throughout his campaign which had altered the run for political candidacy in 2016 entirely. In addition to this, it changed the way people were able to communicate with a political candidate. He would tweet multiple times a day during the race, almost putting him in constant communication with the American People. The number of tweets have only increased since then. Twitter now may even be considered as an essential part of his administration as he uses it as a resource to almost unfilteredly communicate with the American People. This reshaped how the Oval Office runs. Many white house aids wish to confiscate this resource and many have learned to embrace it. But there are both good and bad aspects of this form of communication. Yes, he can communicate directly with the American people, but it also presents many potential risks. So, is his newfound use of communication through twitter good or bad?
Social Media Allows Trump to Communicate Directly with the American People: Good or Bad?
December 9, 2019 by · 4 Comments
I would say that Donald Trump’s twitter presence definitely has some pros and cons. First, it has been a resource that Trump can use in the face of criticism to get his opinion to the public and combat fake news that the media puts out. While Twitter has been great for Trump in this sense, many of his tweets have made him look rather petty and unprofessional. I think Twitter for Trump is a good thing, but it needs to be censored more.
I think that Trump using Twitter is a good way for him to easily convey his opinions to the American people. He always complains about the idea of fake news, so Twitter is a way for him to tell Americans exactly what he wants them to know. There are also some negatives that go along with his use of Twitter. Trump has proven to not really have a filter in regards to certain topics. He often tweets things targeting specific groups and people. This can add to the group that already has a strong hatred for Trump. Its a hard question to answer because I feel like the positives don’t really outweigh the negatives and vice versa.
For a President like Trump who is fueled by his more notable and outrageous statements, the use of a quick delivery system of his messages to the public is incredibly helpful and moral boosting especially for his political base. Messages that title other foreign leaders such as Kim Jong-un as “little Rocket-man” are a way for his to boost American Moral, in a way, while defending his position on a national scale. Although this is for better and worse of the American people it boosts support for his fans and for his political naysayers, their opinions are already set and most likely not going to change either way. Overall twitter has a set purpose and is welded by trump and a sword for him to use his well-known tactics on a world stage with ease.
I definitely see pros and cons to Trump’s constant social media use. As Hanson mentions in the book, there are many people who believe the way Trump speaks is disrespectful and even immoral. I think that because he is able to communicate so directly with the American people, as well as the rest of the world, we are able to see his personality so much more than we have been able to with past presidents. However, it is important for the American people, especially those of lower classes who otherwise have little-to-no access to direct communication with the cultural elite, to be able to feel that they have a say or at least the ability to interact with someone as important as the President of the United States. In reality, I do not think that the majority of people who voted for Trump, like those of the middle and lower class, actually have the ability to make a change by interacting with the president on twitter, so by making them feel more connected to him, Trump is creating a slight false sense of reality.