Online Presence
Donald Trump’s presence online and through social media was
his nontraditional way of campaigning that connected him to so many of his
supporters. According to Google trend analysis, online interest in Trump was
three times higher than Hillary Clinton, he was the most searched candidate and
was mentioned the most on twitter. Looking further into how Trump used social
media and the platforms he used shows how much online presence is beginning to
shape the campaign process.
Donald Trump is most popular on social media for his
outspoken tweets through the platform Twitter. He can attack opponents or
people that offend him, communicated directly with supporters and is a straight
source for information on him or his issues. He used this platform to explain
to the people the kind of candidate he was. It might be a new source for
promotion, but it reaches many more people and keeps up with today’s trend. He
used twitter because it was fast, many people can share it and see it, and people
can see his issues and side of the story without a middle man. Trump was on
other social media sites as well during his campaign. On Facebook, Trump
streamed his apology speech through Facebook Live. His strongest support
however was twitter, where he had 4 million more followers than Clinton.
I’m not sure if it was his name calling, straight forward
and harsh posts that helped him or hurt him during the campaign. In many ways,
they are offensive and unconventional for a politician to post but on the other
hand they brought attention to him and had people talking about him. I think
one way he could fix his presence, if not being nicer, is lowering his reaction
level. When even the smallest of things is said about him he turns to social
media to react and it makes him look weak and that all he cares about is his
image. He should be able to take what he dishes out.
I think that the most interesting tweets that caused the
most talk were the tweets that were offensive. Obviously, it is not politically
right for a president to say some of the things he said but it made him more
average and comical. They also worked in his favor because it got people to
talk about him, which in turn raised awareness of him and his social media
accounts. The things that he says on twitter helped him connect with the people
better and I think that’s what a lot of people liked about his presence online.
That and the fact that he would say very crazy things and each time people
would react.
References:
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/technology/306175-trump-won-thanks-to-social-media
https://www.cnet.com/news/2016-elections-comparing-presidential-candidates-on-social-media/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/07/18/meet-the-9-people-helping-donald-trump-win-the-internet/?utm_term=.e60915a26046
https://www.google.com/search?q=Trump+Tweets&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjVotHD_MnSAhVDj1QKHb2wDjsQ_AUIBygC&biw=1218&bih=630#tbm=isch&q=trump+tweets+clinton&*&imgrc=dTxD6K-bbrr29M:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Trump+Tweets&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjVotHD_MnSAhVDj1QKHb2wDjsQ_AUIBygC&biw=1218&bih=630#tbm=isch&q=trump+tweets+clinton&*&imgrc=WLxjJ-3uj6VY0M:
Well you are definitely correct that Trump Twitter is his most popular social media account, and possibly out of anyone at the moment because of his position as well as his absurdity. Currently, I think his constant use of Twitter is playing to his advantage; however, I am certain that eventually his online behavior will come back to haunt him. Or at least it should in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteTwitter definitely was an outlet for Trump and his rambling thoughts. I think at some point someone should have cut him off or suspended the account because it seemed like everyday there was and still are these just outrageous claims he makes on it that we just do not need to deal. Overall, well done.
ReplyDelete