This presidential election has been the most comedic, overwhelming and emotional election that I have ever been old enough to experience. The results have left some people angry, scared, sad and confused while others are happy, enlightened and hopeful. Social media has become a powerful influence. It has provided an open platform for anything that people would like to talk about. It is free and easy for people to share their emotions and the people have taken full advantage of it.

As much as I did not want to entertain this presidential election, due to the candidates chosen to run, I had no choice but to participate. I learned many interesting facts on the candidates of the election through social media. I had also learned which candidates my Facebook friends were siding with. They would post numerous memes, cartoons and direct thoughts on the candidate of their choice and why they should be elected. To me, people were more bold with their choices this election than ever before.

Social media didn’t only play a huge role in educating the citizens, it also provided a quick and easy way for the candidates to put out a statement or comment on something. I am not on Twitter but I noticed that most people used it to discuss the presidential election more than any other social media podium. Donald Trump himself made the news with the random thoughts , insults and statements that he decided to put on his Twitter. I believe that a lot of the time he posted things just to stir a debate about himself. Twitter definitely was Trump’s medium of choice, and for the most part it seemed as if he was being rewarded for showcasing his freewheeling spirit.The leading candidates for America’s next presidency used Twitter to energize their supporters and draw citizens who wouldn’t otherwise follow political discourse, like myself.

While Trump ran Twitter, it appeared to me that Hillary Clinton had decided to spread herself throughout all of social media. She responded to Trump’s attacks via Twitter with one-liners that the citizens loved. She created an app that her supporters could use to tease Trump via their Facebook profiles and answered questions on Quora that responded to Trumps accusations. Although she remained active on social media, Trump ran the headlines of them.

As much as I believe that social media is beneficial in so many ways, this presidential race has made me believe that social media may not be as good as I thought. Social media gives people the power to organize and inform, but it’s also frequently used to exhibit narcissism and ignorance. People feel a lot more comfortable throwing out hateful and negative comments from behind their laptops or cell phones. It is a lot harder to get people to open their minds to opposing views on social media since it is so easy for individuals with very narrow interests to quickly connect with others who share their beliefs. Social media’s affect on America’s presidential election has embarrassed us. We have got to do better.

Xo,

Monique