Demagogues and Twitter
I think that yes, social media does inherently enable demagogues like Donald Trump. If we look back at history, another demagogue, Hitler, divided Europe and successfully created a fascist dictatorship through his engagement with the German public. Back in his day, Hitler gained popularity through rallies, his inspiring speeches, use of propaganda and fear. He grew his base of supporters by creating himself as a public figure, and was able to spread his ideas quickly with a growing audience listening to him. Imagine 350,000 people listening to Hitler speak at the annual Nuremberg rally. Those 350,000 people were a captive audience.
I think of this today when I think of Trump’s use of speaking to the public. The way politicians get their message out is different than it was, but it works in the same ways. By using Twitter to send out short messages, he can speak to far more people in an instant. He can keep people engaged constantly with new tweets, and can do it anytime from anywhere; no rally necessary. While the messages of President Trump may be worded differently than Hitler’s, it’s hard to deny that the intent is similar. What can make Twitter so dangerous is its rapidity. The President can spend one minute crafting a new tweet, and have it be seen by his 47 million followers in minutes. Social media can be a dangerous force by how quickly it can spread messages, gather people together and spread false information. Many people use Twitter to get their news, and by getting their facts directly from Donald Trump tweeting from his bed at 4:30am, it can spread false news and warped opinions. Twitter has no editorial filters, and as soon as he makes a claim it can become the subject of reporting, conversation nationally and be seen as the truth.
On the other hand, it’s rapidity can also be a positive force to spread truth and to bring people together in hard times. Twitter itself is a neutral platform, and to look at it plainly, it can be used for good and bad. It can hurt good people, like a victim of online bullying. It can also hurt bad people, by getting their hateful speech shut down. It can help people like Oprah Winfrey to spread her message and gain support as well. I think that Oprah is a positive force to the world as she sees no divide in people, and she spreads messages that uplift people and bring them together. Like the president, she has a large fan base already as a celebrity but she can use Twitter to speak to the public on a personal level. She can comment on what is happening in the world, create discussion and sway opinions. Tweeting can only go so far though. She uses her TV program, magazine, and opportunities like her speech at the Golden Globes this year to speak to the public. An article in The New York Times about Oprah first getting twitter says: “When someone like Oprah, who is a very smart businesswoman, sees that a new media platform is worthy of her engaging on it, it signifies a real sea change,” he said. “The mega-celebrity marketing machine that is Oprah seems like the next level of adoption.” Being one of the most influential people in the world, Oprah knows there is a benefit in engaging with people on a popular, and back in 2009, fast emerging platform.
Twitter is just a tool, but it’s all about who’s using it and what it is their broadcasting to say whether or not it can enable or disable demagogues. In the cases of politicians and celebrities such as Donald Trump and Oprah, they can use it to their advantage to get their message out there instantly without going through the smokescreen of editors and publishers.
