As the time for voting for the next US President nears, people begin to look more closely at the candidates’ policies. Americans use social media or news to look at information either directly from the candidate, or from the candidates’ team. Presidential candidates advertise their campaigns on platforms such as newspapers and television, and more recently, social media platforms like Tiktok. How does posting on social media make a difference in a candidate’s
reputation?

 

Presidential candidates use social media to spread more awareness about their campaign and what they stand for, and to bring to light the shortcomings of their opponent. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris frequently posts on Tiktok. The Tiktoks posted on her account keep up with the trends on the app while also bringing up important information. For example, in a recent post by Kamala HQ, they used a meme to show how people should run to polls to vote for Harris-Walz after Republican candidate Donald Trump was given immunity to commit crimes in
office with almost no limits to his power. Even though the video is fun and entertaining, it also sheds light on an issue that should be taken seriously, and how the other candidate’s policies can be harmful. Kamala HQ also posts about her policies on her page, like how she wants to “restore reproductive freedom”, specifically talking about the right to abortion. This was shown in an ad about a girl who passed away because she was not able to access a safe abortion. Harris appeals to the younger generation of voters through Tiktok, one of the most popular social media platforms today. Posting serious information with humorous background videos may help others better understand her goal as a President.

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Adding on, Harris is not the only one using social media to condemn Trump’s policies. Trump also uses Tiktok, constantly posting about taking back the nation from the Democrats and how Kamala will worsen the country. He also posted another video stating that with his presidency, the illegal immigration rate in America was at its lowest, and how when the Democratic President, which he referred to as a “lunatic” was in office, it was at an all time high. Both candidates use Tiktok and other social media platforms similarly. Harris’s Tik Tok page consists of condemning Trump and showing her own policies and goals, and Trump’s Tiktok page does the same, but focuses more on condemning Harris’s policies and talking about what he did when
he was President.

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While social media can be a good place to get information about the election, it is also very easy to become misinformed when using these platforms. Young voters, please do your research about your candidates! Do not only rely on things that you see. Your vote matters, but an informed vote matters even more.