One of my favorite social media moments of all time was June 25, 2013. Wendy Davis, a Texas state senator representing District 10, single-handedly held a thirteen-hour-long filibuster to block restrictive abortion regulations in Texas. Public seating was full, crowds were gathered outside, food trains were created to help feed the people there. The outpouring of support was across district lines, as Texas women from all over the state showed up in support. She was successful, and an instant icon.
But here’s the thing:
NO ONE WAS REPORTING ON IT.
Why do I know about it? Someone live-streamed it on Twitter.
How did the Women’s March organize 5 million marchers across the globe? As the National External Communications Manager for the Women’s March, I can tell you. Facebook and Twitter, with a side of Slack.
How did Obama win the 2008 election, when he was an unknown a few years earlier? He didn’t leave his social media to chance. He had a defined platform that he strategized when and how to drip out on socials.
How did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pull in funding from across the nation? She didn’t hold back from showing up authentically on social media platforms.
These are national examples, but it is reflective of what is happening at the city, county, and state levels as well.
Social media is a powerful tool. It can feel messy, frustrating, ineffective, and overwhelming. A lot of attention has been placed on the negative aspects of social media and politics - the false information campaigns, international interference, and just general exhaustion.
But that’s not what I see.
I see an evolving communication tool that allows for grassroots candidates to level the playing field with incumbents, many of whom are still not taking social media seriously.
I see that social media has been evolving since 2015 when Bernie Sanders pulled crowds upwards of 10,000 despite an almost total media blackout.
I see that while Trump tested the limits of what people were willing to allow, this is leading to a societal shift towards a demand our elected officials be fact-checked, authentic, and above the fray.
I see a failed House run that was no match for a social media campaign - and allowed for President Obama to galvanize voters where they were.
There are deep-rooted rules and processes - on both sides of the aisle - in order to become the party candidate. Unofficial agreements with the press and expectations of behavior and steps. These pieces perpetuate inequalities in who can run, who is considered viable, who can win, and who will have the party’s support.
Social Media forces these structures wide open.
While some politicians use this superpower to twist facts, many more are using it as an opportunity to have a larger platform where one would normally be denied to them.
We can continue to focus on those who twist messaging, or we can stop giving them air, and instead focus on community, connection, opportunity, and electing diverse leaders.
So, yes. Social media is the wild west, and that can be concerning. But it is also a space for new ideas, new leaders, new movements, and new community connections.
Because one thing is certain, it’s up to each of us how we shape the social media landscape moving forward.
