Social media in the 2020 United States presidential election

Social media was used extensively in the 2020 United States presidential election. Both incumbent president Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden's campaigns employed digital-first advertising strategies, prioritizing digital advertising over print advertising in the wake of the pandemic.^[1] Trump had previously utilized his Twitter account to reach his voters and make announcements, both during and after the 2016 election. The Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden also made use of social media networks to express his views and opinions on important events such as the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the protests following the murder of George Floyd, and the controversial appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.^[2]

Similar to the previous presidential election, social media helped shape the course of events, with candidates often hunting for 'viral moments'. These could include certain posts, remarks or videos.^[3] Social media contributed to the spread of media power during the 2020 presidential election by giving a larger number of individuals and groups the chance to have a say in discussions and debates and add to the public narrative.^[4] This led to a larger quantity of diversified news content and viewpoints available to audiences all over the country during the election.^[4]

Data from a research carried out by Pew Research Centre shows that social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are a primary source of information for approximately two thirds of the American population. These platforms are slowly becoming more relevant news sources than long-established, customary forms of media like print and radio.^[5] Social media provides citizens with details on recent events and allows for political engagement. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook let users publicly support their candidate of choice and interact with other partisans by joining online communities and taking part in virtual events.^[5] Data from Socialbakers shows that 72% of American electorates are active on at least one social media platform, and 69% of those citizens only have an online presence on Facebook.^[6]

In contrast to the previous election, the Facebook–Cambridge Analytical data scandal that was exposed after Donald Trump's electoral victory in 2016 led to tighter regulation on the harvesting of personal data for political advertising. Additionally, many platforms enforced stricter rules on the content that was being posted, and also incorporated fact checking software into their applications. The software repeatedly flagged Republican candidate Donald Trump's posts, which led him to accuse social media companies of bias against his campaign.^[7]

^ "Social Media Influencers and the 2020 U.S. Election: Paying 'Regular People' for Digital Campaign Communication - Center for Media Engagement - Center for Media Engagement". mediaengagement.org. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
^ Biden, Joe (19 September 2020). "Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought for all of us. She was a giant of the Court and unflinching in her pursuit of equal justice under the law. Because of her life's work, we are closer to that more perfect union we've always strived to be". Twitter.
^ Wang, Amy B (24 June 2019). "Candidates hunt desperately for viral moments". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b Gillies, Jamie (2022). Gillies, Jamie (ed.). Political Marketing in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election (PDF). doi:10.1007/978-3-030-86559-7. ISBN 978-3-030-86558-0. S2CID 245068454. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b Neely, Stephen (2021). "Politically Motivated Avoidance in Social Networks: A Study of Facebook and the 2020 Presidential Election". Social Media + Society. 7 (4). doi:10.1177/20563051211055438. S2CID 240322153.
^ Suciu, Peter. "Social Media Could Determine The Outcome Of The 2020 Election". Forbes. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
^ Romm, Tony (11 July 2019), "Trump accuses social media companies of 'terrible bias' at White House summit decried by critics", Washington Post, retrieved 10 July 2020

[:1-1] "Social Media Influencers and the 2020 U.S. Election: Paying 'Regular People' for Digital Campaign Communication - Center for Media Engagement - Center for Media Engagement". mediaengagement.org. Retrieved 28 November 2022.

[2] Biden, Joe (19 September 2020). "Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought for all of us. She was a giant of the Court and unflinching in her pursuit of equal justice under the law. Because of her life's work, we are closer to that more perfect union we've always strived to be". Twitter.

[WagMoments-3] Wang, Amy B (24 June 2019). "Candidates hunt desperately for viral moments". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 August 2019.

[:2-4] Gillies, Jamie (2022). Gillies, Jamie (ed.). Political Marketing in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election (PDF). doi:10.1007/978-3-030-86559-7. ISBN 978-3-030-86558-0. S2CID 245068454. Retrieved 28 November 2022.

[:02-5] Neely, Stephen (2021). "Politically Motivated Avoidance in Social Networks: A Study of Facebook and the 2020 Presidential Election". Social Media + Society. 7 (4). doi:10.1177/20563051211055438. S2CID 240322153.

[:3-6] Suciu, Peter. "Social Media Could Determine The Outcome Of The 2020 Election". Forbes. Retrieved 28 November 2022.

[7] Romm, Tony (11 July 2019), "Trump accuses social media companies of 'terrible bias' at White House summit decried by critics", Washington Post, retrieved 10 July 2020

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Social media in the 2020 United States presidential election

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