The recent win of President Trump in the 2024 presidential election highlights the substantial importance of social media in propagating messages, driving participation among base supporters, and bringing more people out to vote.
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election is analyzed, one undeniable influence looms larger than ever: social media. Once a platform for casual connections, social media has evolved into a powerful political tool—one that shapes campaigns and sways public opinion. The impact of social media on presidential elections has become an increasingly complex issue, where the line between persuasion, misinformation, and manipulation is often blurred.
Content Savants fully understands the impact of social media on business success, and this article is looks into the political side of social media, noting without surprise how online communication touches every part of our lives, including politics.
Social Media “Campaign”
Let’s take a little look back in time. In the 2008 election, then-Senator Barack Obama famously harnessed platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to energize a new generation of voters. Fast forward to 2016, and platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even Snapchat had become indispensable tools for reaching voters, particularly younger, more diverse segments of the electorate. With the first win of President Donald Trump, following his extensive use of then-named Twitter, social media had cemented itself as a vital aspect of electoral strategy, helping candidates build momentum, target key demographics, and respond to real-time developments.
Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign is perhaps the most emblematic example of social media’s influence. His prolific use of Twitter allowed him to bypass traditional media outlets, directly engaging with millions of followers and setting the tone for much of the election discourse. Trump’s unconventional approach to using social media garnered both admiration and criticism but demonstrated its unrivaled capacity for amplifying messages—whether they were about policy or attacks on political opponents.
In 2020, Biden also recognized the power of social media, albeit with a different tone. While Trump’s strategy was combative and polarizing, Biden’s campaign leaned more on digital ads, virtual town halls, and messages of unity, aiming to reach voters on a more personal and inclusive level.
Microtargeting: The Power of Personalization
One of the most transformative aspects of social media in elections is microtargeting. Political campaigns can now use sophisticated algorithms to deliver highly personalized ads to voters based on their online behavior. This precision allows campaigns to tailor messages to specific demographics—whether it’s age, location, interests, or even political ideology.
For instance, during the 2020 election, Biden’s campaign targeted suburban women with ads focusing on healthcare and education, while Trump’s team focused heavily on conservative issues and economic prosperity, often employing messages crafted to appeal to working-class voters in battleground states.
The ability to microtarget has made campaigning more efficient but also more divisive. There is growing concern among watchdog groups that microtargeting fosters echo chambers—where voters are only exposed to information that reinforces their existing views—creating a more polarized electorate. Exposure among the general population to a broad range of ideas and opinions has gone down, as voters are increasingly surrounded by content that validates their biases.
Disinformation and Misinformation
While there is still some confusion about what is the difference in meaning between these words – they always go together – the general recognition among those on both sides of the political spectrum is that there is a lot of bad information out there. Some might simply call them lies. “Misinformation” and “disinformation” are words which evade the responsibility of those who develop content by sounding light on judgement. The dark side of social media’s power is its susceptibility to disinformation, or rather, the lack of responsibility with which many content developers approach their trade.
False narratives, conspiracy theories, and misleading information spread rapidly through platforms like Twitter and Facebook, often going viral long before they are debunked. In the 2016 election, for example, Russia’s Internet Research Agency (IRA) used social media to orchestrate disinformation campaigns designed to influence voters, amplify divisive issues, and even undermine confidence in the electoral system.
Despite efforts to curb disinformation in subsequent years, the problem persists. In the 2020 election, false claims about voter fraud and election integrity dominated online discourse, fueling the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Social media platforms have since implemented measures to flag and remove false information, but the speed and scale at which disinformation spreads makes it difficult to contain.
A 2024 election marked by even greater political polarization could see misinformation campaigns become more sophisticated and widespread. Some analysts worry that the sheer volume of content on social media will continue to outpace the ability of platforms to monitor it, leaving voters vulnerable to manipulation.
The Role of Algorithms: A Hidden Influence
The role of algorithms—essentially the behind-the-scenes decision-makers that determine what content shows up in users’ feeds—is another area of concern. Social media platforms use algorithms to prioritize content based on engagement, meaning posts with high interaction rates—whether positive or negative—are more likely to go viral.
This technology has profound implications for presidential elections. Candidates and interest groups can exploit the algorithms to spread content that generates strong reactions and cultivating engagement among their most likely voters. The algorithmic curation of information can facilitate the development of biases in the audience – an effect that businesses strive for all the time. Therefore it is no surprise that election campaign organizations use techniques learned from businesses to attract an audience and “sell” their ideas and candidates.
Digital Activism and Grassroots Movements
Social media has also enabled unprecedented levels of political mobilization. Activist movements such as Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and March for Our Lives have used social media to rally supporters, organize protests, and influence policy debates. The 2020 election saw a significant increase in digital activism, with younger voters using platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter to engage with political issues and mobilize around causes.
In particular, social media gave rise to a new era of “digital-first” campaigning, where grassroots organizations could organize, fundraise, and advocate for change without relying on traditional forms of media or in-person events. This democratization of political engagement has empowered marginalized voices.
What Businesses Can Learn from Presidential Elections
While election campaigns have learned from commercial applications how to motivate an audience, each new cycle and application of use provides lessons learned for all social media developers and strategists.
Presidential campaigns excel at building personal connections with voters through social media. If there is nothing else we learn from the recent presidential campaign, is that creating a personal connection with your audience is key. Because messages can be custom-targeted, like political campaigns, businesses can use sophisticated targeting techniques to reach demographics with tailored offers, and can leverage similar strategies to segment their audience and deliver relevant content that resonates with individual customer preferences.
In this way, effective storytelling is crucial in both politics and business. Campaigns craft compelling narratives that evoke emotions and inspire action. Businesses can use storytelling techniques to create engaging content that highlights their brand values and customer benefits. Successful campaigns foster a sense of community among their supporters, and businesses can follow a similar example to create online communities where customers can connect with each other and the brand, building loyalty and advocacy.
Political campaigns rely heavily on data analytics to understand voter behavior and preferences. Businesses can utilize similar data-driven approaches to track social media engagement, measure campaign performance, and make informed decisions. Having this data can help to guide influencer partnerships. Many campaigns collaborate with influencers to amplify their message and reach a wider audience, and businesses can also explore partnerships with influencers which are relevant to products or services and their targeted demographics.
Businesses may also take lessons learned from the application of social media in crisis situations. Businesses can learn from their strategies to develop robust crisis communication plans and respond effectively to negative feedback or online controversies.
The Future of Social Media in Elections
As we look ahead to 2028, it is clear that social media will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the presidential election. While platforms have made strides to combat disinformation, the evolving nature of online communication, along with new challenges like deepfake technology and AI-generated content, means that the potential for both good and harm is vast.
The key question for future elections is whether social media can be harnessed in a way that promotes informed, thoughtful voting and public discourse or whether it will continue to fuel polarization, division, and manipulation. Whether voters can trust what they see online—and how platforms themselves respond to this challenge—will likely determine the integrity of the electoral process in 2024 and beyond.
In the end, social media’s impact on presidential elections is a double-edged sword. It has the power to unite and empower, but it can also divide and deceive. As the 2024 election draws nearer, it’s clear that this technological tool will shape the political landscape in ways that are still being understood—and its long-term consequences may take years to fully unfold.