By: Nelson Kramer

Humor Editor 

In recent presidencies and this upcoming election, political figures have relied more heavily on social media over television and print. Though this change may reflect technological progress, it challenges the integrity of the electoral process, as candidates exploit these platforms to manipulate public perception. This focus on social media has the ability to become the ugly reality of our elections if we don’t act on this issue. It proliferates misinformation and unchecked claims in ways that traditional media cannot. Defamatory statements prosper online, making it difficult for voters to discern fact from rhetoric. When society swaps out the old for the new, we must acknowledge the risk of something going wrong. 

Such a change has altered how we communicate and receive news on political topics like elections. Media outlets have often determined the atmosphere of our presidential elections. Candidates have been using TV news channels to broadcast their messages to the public since the 1950’s. Using reputable news channels provides a stable platform for candidates to promote their platform because of the general public’s trust in those stations. News channels have historically played a crucial role in challenging the ideas proposed by politicians, in terms of interviews, press conferences, or presidential debates. 

The shift from traditional media to social media in presidential campaigns presents many opportunities and challenges. Social media offers presidential candidates like Kamala Harris and Donald Trump a direct line to voters, however not without misinformation and libel. With the sheer volume of media produced by candidates, and media outlets and the general public, it is difficult for some to form unbiased opinions, especially if most posts slander their opponent and offer little information about their own policies. Harris’s rapid response social media page, KamalaHQ, posts constantly across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X frequently attacking Trump’s character. Trump also makes defamatory personal statements about Harris campaign on his social media accounts. As current and upcoming voters, we must be vigilant in how we receive the information we see online from the candidates in this election. We need to prioritize civility and common courtesy between candidates in a political election because if we don’t demonstrate that these values matter, no change is likely to happen.

As upcoming and current voters, it is crucial that we scrutinize the content we see from both candidates and potentially biased media outlets, cross-check the information that we receive from them, and, most importantly, hold them accountable for the content they share. We need to call for facts over rhetoric. By doing so, we can better navigate the complexities of digital campaigning, make more informed decisions that uphold the integrity of our democratic process, and shape the path for our future elections.