By Endiya Watkins
Opinion Editor
The upcoming presidential election is a major source of concern, anxiety, and confusion for many. As technology continues to advance at an alarming pace, we are faced with challenges never before tackled. Gone are the days when candidates were civil in their disagreements and media was limited to reliable offline newspapers and television stations. The 2016 presidential election marked the beginning of a new standard of decorum for both the press and individual candidates.
Now, we are confronted with divisive and downright false online and offline media camouflaged as reliable resources and civil discourse between candidates has been replaced with childish rivalry. As adults, we have the civic responsibility of choosing the next President of the United States, and for many, this may be the very first time in which we can exercise this right. However, it may feel impossible to keep up with the constant stream of new election information and thoroughly understand the goals and views of each candidate, which is essential to deciding which candidate best aligns with your views.
You may not realize it, but the ability of Americans everywhere to make sound decisions regarding the presidential election is under attack by something many would consider a positive attribute in our society: social media.
The last place you should accept political information is on social media. Nevertheless, it seems that podcasts and TikTok have become the go-to political information resources. Both for younger generations, who are more accustomed to using the internet as a news source rather than television news stations, and older generations, who may be easily swindled by misleading content due to their lack of internet and social media know-how. This is a serious issue, especially considering many of these “resources” are not in the business of relaying factual information.
Social media creators, often labeling themselves as journalists, post biased and misleading news in favor of one particular party or candidate and against all others. They give their viewers what they want to hear instead of presenting the unbiased truth, disabling them from seeing the positives in other parties and fairly weighing their options. This is problematic because it infringes on one’s ability to make an informed political decision. Being exposed only to the exaggerated faults of one party and strictly positive attributes of another Party strips you of the ability to make an electoral decision based on all the facts.
In more extreme and increasingly common instances, Hosts of these sources across all platforms and political spectrums knowingly put out completely false and/or heavily misconstrued information with the sole purpose of evoking a strong reaction from viewers. This media strategy of spreading false and often highly upsetting information is known as “rage baiting.” It aims to upset and dishevel viewers to the extent that they cannot look away, and are tempted to view more of the rage-baiter’s other inflammatory content, giving the creator more views and interaction. The proliferation of such content is compounded by ever-advancing AI technology, which has been used to create fake audio recordings, videos, and photos of politicians in an unflattering light.
The worst part is that once you interact with rage bait or biased media, social media algorithms will suggest more and more similar content, leading many to be stuck in an echo chamber of radical ideas and political fear. This is why media literacy is so important in this day and age, especially with the presidential election on the horizon. Rather than hopping on the bandwagon, I implore students to research the two presidential finalists and avoid using shady media outlets and political commentary as their main sources for determining which party will earn their vote.
The deadline to register to vote in North Carolina for the 2024 general election is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Learn more about voter registration and register online at https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering/how-register
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