North Texas Daily

President Donald Trump uses Twitter like college liberals use cardboard signs to entice change months after an election. Neither are effective, but both are meant to influence a specific audience. To outsiders, especially young liberals, Trump’s Twitter escapades seem to be a lost cause and a waste of government resources.

But to others, deep-seeded, back road Republicans perhaps, Trump’s Twitter is something to cling on to because for the first time in decades, there is a president in office who – for better or worse – interacts directly with the American people.

A majority of mainstream media condemns Trump’s tweets, calling them immature and inappropriate, but I find these claims to be pretty ironic when these same journalists are equally guilty of writing irreverent articles to gain a kind of online traction. Media outlets are now, more than ever, forced to flag down attention and rope in readers in any way possible.

Similarly, political activism is sliding further down the priority lists of average Americans. For the past few decades, people have been less and less involved with the election of officials and the passage of legislation. What I’m trying to get at is that people aren’t involved in politics and people aren’t turning to mainstream media for any answers.

In turn, Trump posts ridiculous tweets because they start conversations. Trump comes from a business background, so he understands marketing and what consumers respond to. In essence, the American political landscape has become a product that its public is no longer buying. So, Trump has taken it into his own hands and is relying – maybe too heavily at times – on the old saying, “Any publicity is good publicity.”

Whether or not it was Trump’s intention, he is constantly starting conversations and fueling fires. People are more politically engaged now than they have been in years. My peers are actually interested in politics because Trump has so blatantly pointed out how big government decisions will affect the daily lives of average Americans. Trump has showed us the importance of understanding health care. People have learned the heartbreaking effects of a harsh immigration policy firsthand. People finally understand the role that government plays in their lives.

Twitter was meant to be a platform on which users could quickly share small bits of information. It allows news sources to provide live feeds of information to people. Consumers rapidly grew accustomed to this style of delivery and demanded nothing less. Now, news outlets churn out news at an alarmingly speedy rate, throw caution and accuracy to the wind and produce what the people want to read. Why should politicians act any differently?

Trump is the face of a new generation – a new wave of politicians who will, by my prediction, lean heavily on social media to interact with their constituencies. Technology has blossomed so much because of its ability to close the gap, and it brings together people who were once separated. Due to this, people cling to the rapid-fire essence of social media and now to news and politics.

Our lives are morphing into news feeds. We try to keep things short and concise, but sometimes, the big conversations have to start on Twitter and end at dinner tables and town hall meetings. That, I think, is the thought at the core of Trump’s Twitter.

Featured Illustration: Samuel Wiggins