In the age of TikTok soundbites and Instagram-perfect campaigns, politics has become more of a performance and less about actual governance. Some elected officials prioritize viral moments over policy, crafting their public personas like influencers rather than helping the people improve democracy.
Politics is supposed to be about policies, governance, and public service, yet nowadays, we are seeing more elected officials chasing “clout” and prioritizing their image over action. Instead of carefully explaining legislation in a way the public can understand, they go viral for posting controversial tweets in collaboration with other social media influencers.
A prime example right now is President Trump. Just last year, Trump did a collaboration with YouTuber Logan Paul, in which he jokingly said he’d write a diss track about Joe Biden. When has politics been about going viral for moments like this?
The rise of politicians who build their entire careers on social media presence has seen them gain massive followings through memes, dramatic tweets, and TikTok skits, but when it comes to real legislative impact, their track record is thin.
On the other side of the spectrum, lawmakers who dedicate themselves to actual governance are often overlooked because they aren’t as “entertaining” online. This creates a system where charisma trumps competence (pardon the pun), and public service takes a backseat to personal brand-building.
It’s not only Trump, though; on the other side of the political spectrum, we have politicians going viral on different social media platforms. Politicians such as AOC have gone viral for controversial fashion and more, but they’re not sensationalizing politics as much as others. When it comes to using social media as a weapon, no one compares to President Trump.
Nonetheless, politicians need to start using social media as a tool to spread policy and not their main source of fame.
