The Social Media Effect: Donald vs. Oprah (#WOKE)
As we all know, social media is a force to be reckoned with in this era and has become the center of attention in every aspect of society. It acts as the primary source of news and entertainment for basically every generation nowadays. However, there are so many ways to engage in social media, that one can easily use it to their advantage.
Let’s take Donald Trump for instance, he owes the majority of his reputation to his very active presences on Twitter and other social media platforms. Without social media, Trump would have never gained the exposure he has today. Only joining social media in March of 2009, Trump has since attracted around 47.2 million followers on Twitter alone. He started off using Twitter as a tool to advertise his book, Think like a Champion, and tweets were usually written by his staff. However, in 2016, he took over his accounts and began releasing negative and insulting tweets. As of November 2017, Trump had insulted 394 people, places, and things from his tweets. What a bully eh?
Obviously, these bad tweets gained a huge crowd of attention even though they seemed pretty ridiculous. Some say this might ruin his reputation as a businessman, let alone a politician, yet, it only made him more relevant among the public. As his popularity grew along with his outrageous tweets, it was almost certain to the world that Trump would stand no chance in the presidential election. But, we all know how that election turned out…
I would say Donald Trump is the perfect example of how social media can help an individual gain attention and popularity. Cause in the end, bad publicity is still publicity for that certain individual. Social media truly is a tool of free speech because it has no baiases, no filters, no standards, and no credibility needed. So, anyone has the freedom to share their message to the public without censorship. Also, the public will always believe anything, no matter how unrealistic it might be. News is now a form of entertainment for our generation because it is hard to distinguish between fake and real news.
Of course, social media can bring good publicity and is effective in sharing more positive forms of expression. Someone like Oprah Winfrey for example, took a whole different approach into social media by first building her reputation through television. Since she started her own talk show in 1986 before social media even existed, she had to gain popularity solely from television views. Fast forward many years later, Oprah now has her own network and has become a philanthropic icon. Her credibility and notions are deeply admired globally.
Oprah uses her fame and recognition to inspire others and inform the public of issues around the world. This tactic has encouraged more individuals to follow in Oprah’s footsteps and help make the world a greater place. Celebrities such as Ellen, the Rock, and many more, aim to inspire their fans and create a positive community within the social media platforms.
Have you heard of the ‘Oprah Effect’? Its basically when Winfrey’s opinions and endorsements influence the masses, especially consumer purchasing choices. CNBC even say that her power on products and businesses she recommends to the public is worth billions. With that amount of impact, Oprah is easily considered one of the most influential people in America.
She now has a whopping 41.4 million followers under her influence on just Twitter. Oprah has multiple effective uses for Twitter, including updating her fans about her personal life (something Trump rarely does), sharing global issues and breakthrough news, and of course advertising her content. If you compare Trump and Winfrey’s Twitters, you can see that they are drastically different, yet, they have gained around the same amount of followers. That is because users appreciate the two extremes of social media and this is the place to get exposed to them. Without these two sides and many more sides of social media, we would not have the diverse platforms that we have now.
So if you think about it, public figures such as Oprah Winfrey are considered peacemakers on social media and use it as a tool to spread positivity. Whereas demagogues like Donald Trump tend to use the medium for negativity. Though both are effective ways to gain popularity on social media, one is more preferred than the other. However, for good or for bad, social media encourages everyone to share their own opinions. So guys, use this platform to your benefit! Build a brand, be consistent and attention will come to you. That’s the social media effect. #DoThingsTellPeople
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_on_social_media
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/oprah-on-the-power-of-social-media
