Donald Trump’s Prison in the Depths of Social Media Hell
Many news articles about Donald Trump describe remarks so horrendous that his PR team later tries to rewrite what he says, explaining how his remarks were “taken out of context” or that he was “joking.” When the news is horribly negative, (and it usually is), then it was “meant as a joke.” And then social media, controlled as it is by the “liberals,” takes the negative comment and makes it worse. If I were on Donald Trump’s social media team, I’d be worried about having to continually reframe The Donald’s words.
Has Social Media Helped or Hindered Trump’s Slide?
Has Social Media Helped or Hindered Trump’s Slide?
Like many others have postulated, it seems that The Donald may never have had any intention of being president. His comments are so envenomed that it’s unfathomable that he could ever really win. The Huffington Post has even suggested that Clinton take a break from campaigning, as doing nothing could help her win. And recently, Michael Moore, who just last week said that Donald Trump would probably win the presidency, now says that Trump “never actually wanted to win the presidency.” How has social media helped or hindered Trump’s rapid decline?
Mistakes Are Magnified on Social Media
Mistakes Are Magnified on Social Media
At one time, maybe as recently as ten years ago, some of the things a candidate said could go unnoticed. The microphone wasn’t always on, as it were, and nothing would happen if a candidate made a faux pas. But now, with everyone having a cell phone, Facebook, and Twitter, any misstep is sure to spread faster than the Zika virus. So the magnification of any mistake can make the error look far worse than it actually is.
Google Trends: Donald Trump and Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
Trump and Google Search
Although the number of Google searches might not indicate where the Donald ranks, it’s still interesting. As recently as March of 2016, the New York Times indicated that “Google Searches Point to a Strong Showing for Donald Trump.” Near the end of July, 2016, the Huffington Post reported that the search term “Donald Trump treason” showed a spike. And then there’s this interesting article about Trump responding to video claiming that Google skewed search results to be more pro-Hillary. And if any publicity is good publicity, then Trump is getting his fair share of Google searches. Although a search on “Donald Trump treason” which was recently trending doesn’t seem to bode well.
Twitter Fails
Twitter Fails
On the Twitter front, Forbes recently published an article about Trump’s Twitter account, “We all know that Mr. Trump’s use of Twitter rivals the Kardashians’. He has amassed over 10.7 million followers and sent over 32,000 tweets.” By any account, that’s a huge number of tweets. But is Trump’s presence on Twitter helping him when many of his tweets show such negativity?
Big Data and Tweets
Big Data and Tweets
To me the most interesting article about Trump and social media is this one that covers Trump’s tweets. Read the text analysis from the data scientist David Robinson, who does a comparison of the data from two different phones (Android vs. iPhone). And he claims that only some of the tweets, those from the Android, are from the Donald himself. And those tend to be the angrier ones.
Fascinating stuff.
David Robinson goes on to say: “Trump’s Android account uses about 40-80% more words related to disgust, sadness, fear, anger, and other “negative” sentiments than the iPhone account does.”
From the Horse’s Mouth
Trump complains on Twitter that newspapers can say whatever they want:
It is not "freedom of the press" when newspapers and others are allowed to say and write whatever they want even if it is completely false!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2016
Sadly for Trump, when he tries to outwit his detractors, he seems to always lose. He may have so many followers because people want to see him stick his foot in it. And then threaten to sue. See the excellent article Top Trumps: Seven of The Donald’s biggest Twitter fails, including a few tweets of Trump defending his hair. Seriously? Yes.
Meanwhile, on Instagram
Over on Instagram, Trump has been waging a campaign ad trying to target Bill Clinton’s Monica Lewinsky debacle. His campaign tries to insinuate that Hilary Clinton doesn’t protect women. Wired Magazine says that Trump is “winning” on Instagram by being himself, “But here and there you see the often unsavory linchpins of his campaign: the bullying, the bravado, and the bull crap. It’s unfiltered, every bit as sophomoric and occasionally vulgar as his rallies and tweets.” Of course, that was back in March. Now it’s August.
Maybe it’s true, as Liz Krokin says in the Observer that Tech Companies Apple, Twitter, Google and Instagram Collude to Defeat Trump. Still, could any of Trump’s detractors do any worse damage than Trump has to himself?
Your Turn
What do you think? Is the deck stacked against Donald Trump? Or is he spiraling out of control all on his own? Leave me a comment! And thank you.
I’m not going to comment on Donald Trump or his tweets. But it’s fascinating to observe what a powerful influence social media has on politics these days. As I recall this all started with Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
I wonder if social media actually has more influence than traditional media on contemporary politics. It does seem that way sometimes.
You’re right about Obama’s 2008 campaign, Clement.
If social media’s influence isn’t stronger than traditional media, it will be very soon. So many don’t watch t.v. or subscribe to newspapers any more–they get all their news online through new media outlets.
Thank you for stopping by!
Carol Stephen
Hi Carol,
I have gone through many posts on Instagram, Facebook. People are talking against the Donald Trump. Social media has influenced his reputation a lot.
It’s hard to say why are people having the negative thoughts about him. Some are saying to leave the country.
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
Yes, there have been quite a few posts about Donald Trump. He says things that sound crazy, then says they were “jokes.” Many people don’t take him seriously any more.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting! Much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Carol
One has to wonder though…. is he actually trying to get the publicity he is in this fashion. We’re all assuming the fallout is negative. But what if it’s what he wants?
Hi Robert,
It’s tough to imagine that it’s not just a big game. Sure seems like it some days. I find the posts about him to be fascinating, especially the science of what he’s been tweeting (the data science). We’ll find out in November if his strategy worked!
Thank you for stopping by,
Carol
Great article, Carol!
I agree with Robert on this one. None of us know what the end game he has in mind. His marketing machine has cause quite a political storm and has disrupted the normal flow of things. I suspect that was one of his biggest goals. He knows how to play the game for sure!
Hi Kittie,
Possibly, Trump never meant to win the election. At least that’s what Michael Moore is saying this week. His campaign has come to define disruption! But the Republican party is in a shambles since Trump entered this race. So many are trying to distance themselves from him these days. And today he hired ANOTHER campaign manager!
Will the wonders never cease?
Thank you for commenting. I appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Carol
Well done Carol. Love the way you tied in the campaign to the usage and power of social media. As a baby boomer it’s been very interesting to see the ramifications of the use of social media as now everyone feels they have a voice. Before we wrote letters to protest and express our concerns but now you can get instant gratification with your point of view, positive or negative, when the likes pile up. I believe open and honest discussion conducted with respect for others can solve issues. I’ve never been able to support any supervisor, manager or leader that motivates people with hatred, negative racial comments, threats or name calling.
Hi Phil,
Things have changed so much in politics with the rise of social media. There’s no longer any place to hide. And you’re right about the instant gratification. More respectful discussions are truly necessary. I believe that’s why so many of Trump’s supporters are distancing themselves from him right now. I’m with you about the name calling! Are we in third grade?
Thanks for dropping in! Nice to see your face!
Sincerely,
Carol