Social Media and the U.S. Presidency

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If someone is sitting in a restaurant, walking down the street, taking a seat on the bus, among countless other mundane activities, what is one glaring phenomenon they might observe? Beams of bright blue light illuminating the faces of Americans everywhere, providing unlimited digital assistance for an unfathomable number of tasks. Almost a decade ago, Apple Inc. trademarked the phrase of an era, “There’s an app for that.” Browse the App Store for weather forecasts, road maps, fitness trackers, mobile banking, video games, cameras, music and movies, all simultaneously held in the palm of your hand. What about direct lines of communication to the most prominent of citizens, say the President of the United States? There are apps for that too. 

In a world where information seekers are instantly gratified, should it be considered appropriate for a sitting U.S. President to have a personal social media platform? Although social networking allows for extreme transparency between the president and the people, during the time an individual holds the title of U.S. President, he or she should not update a personal social media platform, especially as it could potentially become a threat to national security.

The history of the relationship between Americans and the media is captivating. According to a timeline provided by the White House Historical Association, the official residence and office of the President became a distinct beat for the press in the late 1800s, when presidents began holding meetings with reporters. Subsequently, the advent of new technology like radio, television and social media has drastically changed the way American citizens find news about the most important people in the nation.

In 1913, Woodrow Wilson held the first press conference, which later became the primary form of direct presidential communication with the American people. In 1929, the position of Press Secretary was formally established. 

In 1923, Calvin Coolidge became the first president to use radio to speak to the American people. By 1940, according to Lumen, almost 83 percent of households had radio. As the medium became more popular, politicians saw an opportunity to communicate with the public in a more personal manner. Warren Harding and Herbert Hoover both used radio, as well, but it was Franklin D. Roosevelt who became known for his innovative use of audio, delivering his first presidential speech over the radio just eight days into his presidency. It was Roosevelt’s audacity to break tradition that altered the role of president, allowing for things more modern and informal. 

In 1939, Roosevelt’s speech at the World’s Fair in New York became the first televised broadcast in the United States. By 1953, according to the Miller Center, more than 52 million television sets had been sold. In 1955, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s press secretary allowed the media to record coverage of White House news conferences, which he later edited before the content was released to the public. In 1960, the nation viewed its first televised presidential debate. In 1961, John F. Kennedy became the first president to boldly hold a live news conference on television. Up until the introduction of the internet, television controlled the narrative of news coming out of the White House. 

In 1992, George Bush became the first president to use e-mail. In 1994, the Clinton Administration developed the White House’s first website. In 2009, Barack Obama became the first president to answer questions via Twitter, live stream on Facebook, post videos to YouTube, and use a filter on Snapchat. The utilization of the internet, and the creation of social media platforms, has paved the way for future presidents to communicate in a more personally controlled environment.

In 2006, the first ever tweet was published, at the time George W. Bush was in office, who created his personal account in September 2009, several months after Obama had taken office. In 2007, Barack Obama created a personal account, which he updated throughout his two-term presidency. In 2009, Donald Trump created his personal account. As Obama and Trump are currently the only two presidents to have had the opportunity to employ such a medium, and with a highly-anticipated election on the horizon, it is important to observe how social media is being used today and consider a standard for the future.

In 1995, Six Degrees became the first modern social media platform, followed by other prominent platforms like Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. Barack Obama and Donald Trump are the only two presidents who have had the opportunity to use social media while in office. 

It is interesting to note that, despite entering the scene two years after Obama, Trump has sent 40,700 tweets while Obama has only sent 15,600. And although Obama has sent less than half the number of tweets as Trump, he has double the number of followers. Not only are the numerical data distinctly uneven, the visual properties of the two profiles illustrate a stark contrast in online personality. On Facebook and Twitter, @BarackObama can be seen interacting with children and offering a friendly smile in his profile picture, while @realDonaldTrump promotes the funding of his southern border wall and serves a stern look in his profile picture. 

In recent years, President Trump has become the target of several lawsuits as a result of his actions on social media. The plaintiffs of one case, CREW National Security Archive v. Trump and EOP, allege he has violated the Presidential Records Act by deleting tweets. The plaintiffs in another case, Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump, claim that he has violated First Amendment rights by blocking users on Twitter, the argument being that it is a public forum. And to put it very bluntly, social media is just that: public. 

In 2017, according to Statista, there were almost 2.5 billion social network users across the globe, although the region with the highest concentration of users is North America, where around 81 percent of the U.S. population had at least one social media account. It is estimated that the number of users worldwide will surpass three billion by 2021. Not only will future presidents have the power to influence the majority of U.S. citizens via social networking, they might also be able to reach around a third of the world’s population, all by the instantaneous touch of a tiny digital keyboard. 

It could be argued that a president might suffer from inaccurate portrayals by the media, resulting in the need for direct contact with the American people. The solution being that the president should only be allowed to update the White House official social media accounts, with the assistance and approval of designated staff.

The media paints a picture of President Trump sitting on the toilet in the early hours of the morning, poking ferociously at his phone, sending Tweets riddled with hate speech, misspelled words and incorrectly tagged users. Both Obama and Trump have been considered controversial presidents for a variety of reasons, but in terms of their online accounts, a simple Google Search for social media scandals provides a clear answer: one is not like the other. Trump has used social media in an irresponsible way, as a weapon. As we head into the future and descend deeper into our digital world, it would be responsible for our government to monitor social media use by someone holding such an influential position.