Social media’s influence during the presidential campains

Daryna Hriaznova and Tania Lopez • November 4, 2024

Online platforms and prominent influencier’s help play a pivotal role in shaping how students form opinions and evaluate the presidential canidates.

Sophomore Ethan Sokol and his classmates are turning to social media for real-time updates on the election.

“Obviously, they have campaign accounts and personal accounts where they talk themselves up a little bit,” Sokol said. “Sometimes they make attacks toward the opposing candidate. They also try to talk up the points of their campaign.”

Presidential candidates are using social media to promote their campaigns, especially to reach young voters. Presidential candidate and Vice-President Kamala Harris used Charli XCX’s “Brat” album cover as the design for her presidential candidate Instagram account. Because of politican’s emphasis on social media, students are informed of events such as the presidential debate, assassination attempt on presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump and many other crucial events leading up to the election on Nov. 5.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has received the backing of celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Charli XCX and Billie Eilish. Celebrities in turn, are using their platforms to throw their support behind candidates. As influential voices in pop culture, their endorsements amplify Harris’s appeal, particularly among younger voters who are drawn to their progressive values and advocacy for social justice. Swift has praised Harris in an Instagram post on Sept. 10, highlighting her stance on issues like gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. The nonprofit website Vote.org, the website Swift directed her fans to register to vote, received more than 35,000 registrations afterward.

Twenty-five students responded to a Google Form survey posted on Instagram and Schoology. Of those students, 17 said that celebrity endorsement plays a role on how people see the candidates while seven said it was possible and one said that it didn’t play a role on how people see the candidates. Twenty-two students believed that media exposure and celebrity endorsement helps campaigns. (Alexa Garay)

“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” Swift announced on her Instagram account. “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”

In Sokol’s opinion, there’s not a lot of information spread online by the candidates that can be trusted. Facts or sometimes only pieces of data posted online often determine how the people are going to vote, and it’s important not to believe everything posted on social media. As senior Gracie Huaman said, sometimes, things said by the candidates about themselves and their campaigns leave younger voters without their personal opinion about who they are voting for.

“I think that Harris is using it (social media) as a call to the American people, trying to build a community,” Huaman said. “And Trump is using it in an antagonizing way. He is going after specific people or party members.”

Billionaire Elon Musk, musician Kid Rock and actor Zachary Levi have similarly used their platforms to endorse the Republican party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump. Levi endorsed Trump at a Reclaim America Tour in Michigan on Sept. 28, claiming that Trump is the right candidate because he’s going to have the fight that exists in Robert Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

“When I came out and said I was endorsing President Trump through my endorsement of Tulsi and Bobby,” Levi said. “90 percent (of the messages he received) have actually been quite lovely and supportive, and I’ve really appreciated that.”

There’s a lot of information about the election spread online and not all of it is true. Sometimes voters get confused with the information from the side of each candidate and take the opinion of the candidates or celebrities supporting the candidates. But people don’t do all the needed research to have an opinion of their own.

“Of course it has a lot of impact on the people,” junior Marianna Alvarez-Patino said. “Because everyone uses social media. If they watch campaigns and everything online, they will say: ‘You know, I want to vote for this candidate because I know they’re good.’ It’s easy to just go online and decide.”

About the Contributors

Daryna Hriaznova, Staff Writer

Daryna Hriaznova is a sophomore and first year staff member of The Pearl Post. Being a part of the newspaper, she hopes to improve her skills in writing journalism and interviewing. Outside of The Pearl Post, she likes to write fictional books and stories and draw. She is proud to be a part of The Pearl Post and is excited to contribute to the newspaper.

Tania Lopez, Staff Writer

Tania Lopez is a sophomore and a staff writer for The Pearl Post. This is her first year on staff and she is excited to see what the future has in store. Outside of The Pearl Post, she serves as the sophomore class Treasurer and a member of Los Angeles Unified School District’s Gifted and Talented Education’s Student Advisory Council. Her goal for this year is to take as many opportunities as she can to improve her writing skills.

Andre Arcilla, Digital Media Editor-in-Chief

Andre Arcilla is this year’s Digital Media Editor-in-Chief. This is his second and final year on staff. His goal on staff is to make sure there’s more videos on The Pearl Post site and social media and to further improve his writing skills. At school, he’s the president of the Art Club. During his free time, he enjoys video editing, listening to lots of music, drawing, and playing video games with his friends. He hopes to keep finding new and creative ways to express himself and tell stories.

Alexa Garay, Managing Editor

Alexa Garay is this year's Managing Editor. This is her second and last year on staff. She hopes to improve her editing and design skills. Outside the classroom, she serves as Student Body Treasurer and National Honor Society Secretary. During her free time, she enjoys reading books, talking with friends and playing the drums. She hopes to make the most out of her senior year.