OPINION: Twitter political influence is here to stay

It feels like every other day Twitter is in the news for some politician, citizen or other netizen making a claim. Twitter allows one to expand their reach and has become central to campaigns.

Twitter introduced politics to a new era: one of awareness. Politicians can no longer hide their true self; if they do not own up to who they are, the internet will for them.

Notoriously, Twitter use was extensive in the 2016 presidential election. Donald Trump’s tweets, as a candidate, garnered hundreds of thousands of views as Americans started hashtags on the app against and for his message. #DrainTheSwamp, #NotMyPresident and many more are famous hashtags created by and for users of the app. Not only did these become widespread online, but they became common sayings of both political parties.

Twitter also exposes some politicians for lying. In September, Ted Cruz liked a NSFW tweet, breaking his “godly-man” image. While thousands laughed at this accidental like of a pornographic video, his supporters realized his reputation was a lie. The disconnect between politicians and the masses is gone.

The bigger political conflict social media creates is the struggle to maintain high approval ratings. Take Trump for instance. His tweets often clash with what he is actually doing in office. According to a Fox News poll, his approval rating is 38 percent.

Some say this a problem, but the exposure of discrepancies between one’s words and actions can only help the world choose leaders that will effectively create change consistent with platforms.

However, Twitter does not only ruin a politician’s career. It can help outliers be heard.
Twitter is arguably the reason Bernie Sanders became a major voice in the Democratic party. His social media platform propelled his campaign from a small amount of Democrats to a large amount of people all chanting #FeelTheBern. Sanders’ messages were posted on every social media platform: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. His tweets still garner hundreds of thousands of views and his account has 6.2 million followers. The recognition helps those without a strong candidate in mind find their match.

A testament to the popularity of Twitter, senior Victoria Johnson described Twitter use in her personal life.

“I spend a couple hours on Twitter everyday,” she said. Johnson loves the app for the jokes and important messages.

“Someone could tweet their political stance and it could blow up,” she said. “It would show on thousands of timelines.” For daily Twitter users such as Johnson, tweets that have to do with politics are constant.

Twitter encourages users to share their ideas, even if the limit is 140 characters (280 for the lucky few). The app highlights chains of tweets on their explore page in a section called “today’s moments.” These range from silly memes to politics, but for many millennials this is where they get their news and where they form opinions.

“I get news from Twitter,” Johnson said.

The app is famous for spreading protest videos in a matter of minutes after they happen. Discourse, of course, follows. Whether it be red, blue, green or any other color, political messages are on the app to stay.

Even if some profiles are jokes, such as @ProBirdRights, the majority of Twitter has a strong political background. The retweet and like option can make any tweets viral. All it takes is one person with a high following to like or retweet a message and it will be heard by all of their followers. Then the cycle continues.

This may create a “hive mind” effect, with twitter users bullying those who do not agree with their opinon, but social and political awareness can only be interpreted as a good. It is up to the individual to decide what to listen to. The passion to be involved has to start somewhere, even it is by following groups of people all chanting the same message.

The awareness of politics on apps such as Twitter enable conversations that could only take place today. The new age of increased communication is undoubtedly a good thing, for education is spreading and even the common joe can learn about the most pressing issues.