Here’s a question for Tuesday’s presidential debate between Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump. Do you believe the social media industry needs more regulation? And I want to know how they will achieve this, given the constitutional protection of free speech.
The power of that question is currently on display with the ever-increasing impact of social media on politics, specifically this year’s election and even this debate.
Presidential debates are now interactive events, with huge audiences engaged on social media, such as TikTok, X and Instagram.
That’s where the debates are scored minute by minute with grandma, the kids, movie stars and social media personalities competing to post the perfect put-down of Trump and memorable mocking of Harris.
These days, the social media chatter about the two candidates is bigger than anything said on stage by the political rivals. It is also bigger than the judgment of people watching on television. In fact, nowadays, television pundits and morning headlines tend to take their cue from social media.
I first noticed this phenomenon in 2012 at the first presidential debate at the University of Denver. I was surrounded by primetime television hosts and other political commentators. Most of them paid little attention to the debate.
Their eyes were locked on websites, scrolling through the schoolyard comments coming over social media, most noticeably from right-wing echo chambers.
Fast-forward to this year’s campaign. Social media........