The Battle For Public Opinion

In the 21st century, the internet is constantly at everyone's fingertips. Google can tell you how to make your favorite recipe, ChatGBT can answer your math problem for you, and Instagram can tell you everything you want to know about any one of your peers (depending on how hard you're willing to search). With this rise in internet presence has come a new era of marketing and communication that we have not previously seen. Politicians and celebrities alike are reaching out to followers in a whole new way, and a lot of it is extremely successful. However, the age of social media that we are currently in is most definitely a double edged sword. This is showcased through the ease in which things can be pushed out and absorbed. If I heard a new topic that I wanted to learn more about, all it would take is a two second search on Instagram and I’d find slideshow after slideshow telling me all about it. This is both a horribly good and a horribly bad thing. No one is fact-checking the information that gets pushed out onto social media sites, and anyone can use these sites to say whatever they want. So, I could go and do all this “research” on a topic, come back from my Instagram-rabbit-hole thinking I’m now a pro, yet I actually have not learned a single true fact. In the correct hands, this ease of access to information can be incredibly insightful. There have been plenty of times when I have come across a term or a story of some kind on social media and not known what it means, and gone to Google to find a credible source that could tell me more about it. But there are lots of people out there who see something on the internet and simply decide that it is fact without any checking whatsoever.

This chronically online era has also made people much more desensitized to hate and violence. Online networks facilitate the spread of extremist ideologies by giving people with these extremist beliefs platforms that can be reached from any corner of the world. People across the globe can organize together under one online “movement” and connect with other, like-minded people. This ability for people to connect has been the start of many influential and important movements (think Black Lives Matter and #MeToo). However, this tool is also utilized by horrible people trying to push out their horrible beliefs. These groups form online because they can reach more people yet remain anonymous to prevent persecution or consequence for the things that they are organizing.

From an ethics standpoint, social media communication can get even more dicey. When individuals and organizations engage in public view online, it is important to strive for both honesty and accountability. When a voter views a politicians page, they should come across thoughtful, factual, and informative posts. There is a level of trust that is built between accounts with big platforms and their followers - and that is that the information that the followers are consuming is true. Now, obviously, this is not usually the case, and people are, often unknowingly, deceived by their idols on the internet all the time.

However, there are many examples of public opinion being swayed through online campaigns. And, seeing as it is election day (make sure you go vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!), I feel like looking at examples of celebrity political candidate endorsements is an excellent place to start.

Many celebrities use Instagram to encourage their followers to vote, or to endorse certain candidates in an election. For example, Taylor Swift (AND THE CROWD....was not surprised that she picked this as an example) often posts links reminding fans to register to vote and about the importance of making your voice heard. In fact, back in September of 2023, Swift took to Instagram to encourage fans to register to vote through Vote.org. An hour after the post, Vote.org reported a 1,226% increase in website participation, and more than 35,000 new voter registrations, the most since 2020. As it is once again an election year, Swift has been quite active on her social media platform regarding voter registration (as seen below) 

Similarly, Sabrina Carpenter brought in a whopping 35,000+ voter registrations through HeadCount while on her tour, more than any other artist in 2024. Read the Variety article here.

Overall, public opinion formation and communication strategies have been forever altered, both for the good and for the better, by social media.