The TV debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump marked the start of the hot phase of the US election campaign. What role do social media play in this? Can short video clips on TikTok, X and Instagram help decide the election? Questions for Karsten Donnay, specialist in political communication and digital democracy.
Karsten Donnay
Political scientist
SRF News: How do social media influence the presidential election campaign in the USA?
Karsten Donnay: A majority of Americans often get their information online, and the younger generation in particular uses social media. According to a study by PEW Research, almost half of 18- to 29-year-olds use TikTok to find out about politics. Platforms like X (Twitter) were also very political in the last election.
The style of campaign videos has changed towards shorter and more dynamic formats.
What is new in the current election campaign is that the campaigns are also very consciously active on the “younger” platforms such as TikTok. It is interesting that this has also led to the style of the campaign videos changing to some extent, towards shorter and more dynamic formats.
Kamala Harris has repeatedly gone viral, especially on TikTok. How much can this help her in the election campaign?
Harris entered the election campaign late and with a fairly large lack of awareness. The visibility of her viral TikToks has the potential to make her better known across party lines. However, a recent survey by the New York Times and Siena College also shows that voters still have too little understanding of the policies that Kamala Harris actually stands for.
Which party is currently doing particularly well on social media?
Structurally, the Democrats have advantages on large platforms like X or TikTok. Kamala Harris’ campaign team in particular is using social media very specifically to reach younger voters in particular. And they can count on more influential influencers and celebrities to support their campaign.
Viral video clips like Harris’s reach a wider audience and people from other political camps.
However, it is difficult to say whether and how this will translate into votes. But viral video clips like Harris’s not only have a greater reach, they also reach a wider audience than their own followers, especially people from the other political camp or undecided voters.
A selfie with actor Darryl Lynn Hughley and Kamala Harris at an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in May.
imago images / Jovanny Hernandez, “Milwaukee Journal Sentinel”
How do you reach people who don’t use such platforms?
Other media often pick up important content from social media and report on it. It is interesting that young platforms like TikTok can use this to make political content known directly to family or friends. This could mean that a candidate like Harris could become known through young TikTok users in more conservative homes. However, this effect is very difficult to measure, because even if additional visibility is generated here, this does not translate directly into votes.
Social media was one of the reasons for Donald Trump’s election in 2016. Why can’t he dominate online anymore?
Social media has changed dramatically since the 2016 election, and with it the demands on campaigns. And like American society as a whole, social media is much more polarized and fragmented. In addition, although Trump has since been allowed to return to X, the platform has changed significantly in terms of content, dynamics and users. Younger voters in particular are now on other platforms.
The interview was conducted by Fabrizio Bonolini.