As November approaches, voters prepare for the 2024 presidential election. However, since 2020, the way voters participate has changed by the year. Along with pandemic-related changes, social media has digitized and radicalized politics. The COVID-19 pandemic and social media use have altered how people engage in politics and elections.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed how people approach daily interactions. According to an editorial article published in Frontiers in Psychology, the pandemic created “negative impacts and challenges, but also opportunities for progressing how we communicate.” The pandemic also accelerated advances in communication technology, according to the article.
The pandemic also changed how we approach political participation. According to a study of the 2020 presidential election, states drastically altered voting practices to accommodate the pandemic. According to the article, many states implemented automatic voter registration, revised absentee ballot excuse requirements and expanded early voting windows to accommodate COVID-19.
However, states began to reinstate and alter restrictions after the 2020 election passed. According to a 2023 article on the League of Women Voters website, Ohio passed House Bill 458, which created stricter voter identification requirements, limited drop box locations and shortened the absentee ballot window. The restriction of state voting practices from 2020 practices will likely make voting less accessible but more secure in November.
Alongside pandemic-related changes, social media has altered political participation. From the candidates’ point of view, social media has revolutionized political campaigning in 2024, according to the University of Pennsylvania’s “Knowledge at Wharton” podcast.
Candidates now can connect to constituents more directly than before, and some tap into pop culture trends to get their message across. This year, Kamala Harris’s TikTok campaign account, “Kamala HQ,” went viral for its use of popular Generation Z trends on the platform.
Social media also evens the campaign field for third-party candidates, as the platforms provide a low-cost means of connecting candidates to constituents. According to the Wharton School’s podcast, “money and access to formal communication channels pose huge barriers to new entrants.” Social media allows political newcomers to gain a boost in support, potentially kick-starting their campaigns.
However, social media has also changed campaigning for the worse. For example, social media makes it easier to spread political misinformation through artificial intelligence content. Former president Donald Trump infamously uses AI images on X, formerly known as Twitter, to gain voter support in his campaign. On Aug. 18, Trump posted an AI image apparently of Harris at the Democratic National Convention, relating her to communist propaganda. The virtual mud-slinging on social media manipulates voters’ perceptions of candidates, altering how they participate in politics.
Misinformation and social media algorithms have radicalized voters on both sides of the aisle. According to an article from the National Institute of Justice, individuals who spend time on certain platforms “may face an increased likelihood of being exposed to or engaging with hateful or potentially radicalizing content.” Social media can create a smokescreen that hinders voters from recognizing potentially radicalizing political content.
It is obvious: the 2024 presidential election will differ from its predecessors. The way we approached voting in 2016 looked different in 2020, and it will look different now. States backpedaling on pandemic practices makes voting more confusing than ever. In addition to voting practices, social media has dramatically changed political participation and communication leading up to elections. In the 2024 election, pop culture and artificial intelligence will permeate politics more than ever. The election will likely uncover the results of social media and the pandemic in political participation.
Taylor Orcutt is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Taylor know by tweeting her @TaylorOrcutt.
