Is there a problem with @POTUS being on Twitter?
The United States of America has had presidents that were known for being formidable speakers, and others for being assassinated, impeached, or having a different skin colour than the rest. For an array of reasons, including being compared to a Cheeto puff, the 45th president of the United States will be notoriously remembered by the world after his four (or eight) year term.
Like previous presidents, great changes to the United States have been implemented during Trumps first year in office, some changes have been wildly criticized and others — wildly criticized as well.
But President Trump isn’t popular for his policy refinements, instead he is profoundly known for his Twitter account and the influence his 280 characters can have on his 47.5 million followers.
If you log onto twitter you might be surprised to learn that Trump ranks 20th for highest amount of followers, Katy Perry being on top, followed by Justin Bieber and surprisingly the 44th President, Barack Obama, with over 95 million followers comes in third. So if Trump is lower on the twitter ladder, why are we so concerned about his actions online?
The obvious answer, and one that many have argued, is that as the president of the United States his words can impact the country’s socio-cultural dynamics, the legal system, and is possibly enabling politically driven racists online. But back in the days when Obama was the president, he was praised for being the first president to successfully use social media in his campaign; even after his 8-year reign, he still has a substantial following on social media.
Then there is the argument that because he is of celebrity status, he glamorizes and dramatizes everything he says online to gain attention, giving him a demagogue title. But is he special in what he does? What about other celebrities who have even more online presence and influence than Trump does? Our favourite, beloved celebrities shape the ways in which we look at who’s hot and who’s not, social issues, and even political matters.
Internationally popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey is known for bringing joy to people, “and you get a car! And you get a car! Everyone gets a free car!” She is a powerful speaker with a whole lot of influence on her followers. Recently she made a compelling speech at the Golden Globes after winning the Cecil B. DeMille award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.” This speech began a wave of Oprah fans tweeting the hashtag “#OprahForPresident” and “#Oprah2020.” Even though the self-made billionaire had not declared her run for presidency, her influencial words inspired peopled to take to social media and praise her.
In many ways Oprah and Trump can be compared, for their status, net worth, and influence but there differences lie in their presentation, while one inspires the other ignites.
But I beleive that the issue isn’t with having a president with an active social media presence, the problem lies with glorifying these influencers and setting their tweets in stone as if a higher power whispered in their ear to spread the word. Popular persons are easily able to spread their thoughts and opinions through hashtags that can create entire movements and sometimes spark deep debates online.
Americans are obsessed with celebrities and have followed their lives endlessly through magazines and television to now social media where we feel a falsified intimate connection with them. It is the users responsibility to use discretion and think independently on what opinions are on social media regardless of how many times a tweet has been liked or retweeted.
As those lucky enough to have “freedom of speech,” written in their constitution, Americans should be active to say what is on their own mind and not regurgetate tweets belonging to rich billionaires. Once the trend of being a free thinker becomes a reality, then and only then will we be able to escape the fanciful tweets of politicians and celebrities — and sometimes both.
