Social media is a digital space where people can speak freely, communicate in real time and share ideas. It’s also a place where misinformation can spread just as quickly as the truth. Figuring out what and who to trust can be difficult.
“I used to think that social media was, and perhaps to some degree it was, educating the populace, making more information available more quickly,” Metro columnist at the St. Louis Post Dispatch Tony Messenger said. “But these days, I find that the disinformation on social media is hard to overcome.”
Battling misinformation is a challenge for both politicians and journalists, voters and media consumers – especially in today’s political climate.
Messenger shared an example of how journalists can’t just provide the correct information, but also have to address misinformation to further explain the facts.
“Some republicans are trying to say that [the abortion amendment] would legalize transgender surgeries,” Messenger said. “The amendment has nothing to do with that, but if you write about it, you almost have to address the disinformation that’s out there and explain to people what the actual wording of the amendment is and with the details that are out there. Saying look, this is what this is actually about, this is the history of this debate, etc.”
Every day, millions of people are exposed to false information. Deciding what to trust can be confusing. That goes for both the reader and the candidate seeking to connect with those potential voters.
“People believe that one moment on social media is going to make or break a candidate,” House Minority Leader in the Iowa House of Representatives and Associate Professor at Drake University’s journalism school Jennifer Konfrst said. “It is easier to break the candidate on social media in one moment, but voters have very short memories.”
Konfrst went on to say that it’s less likely one thing is going to destroy or make a candidate. Voters pay attention based on a viral moment, but they don’t typically vote that way.
“What happens is, generally, the message that you’re trying to achieve as a candidate can get lost, and that’s unfortunate,” House Representative for Missouri District 106 Travis Wilson said.
Right now, the way that the social media algorithm works is that it will see that a person likes a post, say it’s a funny cat video, and it will start showing them more of that same content. The social media company will get more revenue because they stay on the platform longer while they will be content with their doomscrolling, being fed the same kinds of posts over and over again.
Take another look at that scenario, but trade out the funny cat videos for posts from only one political viewpoint. What a viewer likes and agrees with continues to show up in their feed weeding out any opposing or challenging ideas. This is what so many people go through every day, intentionally or not. Soon a person’s feed is filled with everyone who agrees with them. This is the algorithm at work. This is great when they want to see more cat videos, but when the information is misinterpreted or simply incorrect, the algorithm pushes misinformation which turns out to be the opposite.
While all social media platforms have their pros and cons, some social media platforms can be worse than others when it comes to spreading mis- and disinformation.
“I used to use Twitter very effectively, not only to communicate with people, but to get my columns out and to read other information that I care about,” Messenger said. “Right now, that is really hard to do because the algorithm is so broken and there is so much intentional disinformation on that network in particular, and I’m sure on most of the social media networks. It’s just not a place where there is much constructive conversation these days.”
This poses an issue for everyone, regardless of political viewpoint and how often they even talk about politics with others. Misinformation on social media isn’t typically directly from politicians. While it can be, as it can be from anyone, most politicians work to make sure that they are spreading truthful information and educating voters in the right ways.
“Everything should be taken with a grain of salt,” Konfrst said. “As a consumer of social media, you know that you’re only getting a little part of the story. Misinformation has a big role, but as practitioners, I really emphasize the importance of being ethical communicators who are honest, who are not misleading voters and who are telling the story in a way that voters can easily contextualize. That’s not driven to confuse or mislead voters, but is rather driven by informing them.”
Sometimes misinformation isn’t just incorrect, but can be misinterpreted without the full context or intended tone. In the end, a lot is left up to the way a person reads what has been said or posted.
“I think it’s important to have people see that we’re real people,” Konfrst said. “And the more relatable we can be, I think the more the more young voters who might be skeptical of the process will see that we’re just normal people who are working for the cause.
These candidates are also capitalizing on social media trends.
“If we’re trying to reach younger voters where they are on Tiktok, on Instagram, and doing it in a way that’s authentic and trying not to seem posed or like we’re trying too hard,” Konfrst said.
Some still prefer to knock on doors to reach their target audience.
“I’m out trying to communicate directly with voters and ask for their votes in person,” Wilson said. “Also, doing things like sending information through the mail directly to their homes. That sort of thing, I think, is much more personable and much more direct to the actual constituent.”
No matter what approach a politician takes, there will always be people who pay attention only to whether the candidates are “red” or “blue”.
“What we have run into in this current political climate is you either agree with me or you’re just a terrible person, and really nothing could be further from the truth,” Wilson said. “The Democrats in the House are human beings, just like I am. They want to work hard for the people they represent, just like I do. We happen to disagree on a few things. Guess what? There’s also a fair amount of things that we do agree on, and that’s where the good work gets done for the people of Missouri. Social media can dilute that positive momentum and keep good people from being able to perform their jobs.”
Nobody wants to be misrepresented. Even with a shared hope to stop misinformation, there’s little chance that it is going to go away anytime soon. There are things that everyone can be aware of while posting and consuming information on social media to help lessen the spread and stay educated. Readers need to look for the full story and gather more context for what they’re seeing.
“[Social media is] not a place where it seems you can find important, accurate information,” Messenger said. “I think that it affects the election in a negative way and I hope voters can rise above it.”
A survey was sent out to all English teachers for students to take. This survey received a response from 277 students and lasted from Sept. 26-27. These statistics are with the exact questions and answers received from the form.
If you were able to vote, who would you select for President of the United States of America?
Governor
The Governor is the most powerful position for controlling the lives of Missouri citizens. More than the President, the Governor can implement specific policies that will affect Missouri resident’s lives.
Mike Kehoe
Kehoe is the current Lieutenant Governor of Missouri and the Republican nominee for the gubernatorial election. Kehoe is running on a Pro Life and Pro 2nd Amendment campaign. Kehoe supports an increase to Voter ID and ensuring Missouri control over Missouri land. Security and immigration control are major issues for Kehoe.
Crystal Quade
Quade is the current Minority Leader of the Missouri Quade is the current Minority Leader of the Missouri House of Representatives and the Democratic nominee. Quade is running on a Pro Choice campaign with an emphasis on fighting extremity within Jefferson City. Quade is in favor of policies that cut taxes on essentials such as groceries while increasing taxes on the ultra wealthy in Missouri. Focusing on individual liberties for Missouri citizens is the main emphasis.
Bill Slantz
Slantz is the Libertarian candidate for Governor this election cycle as well as the State Chair for the Libertarian Party in Missouri. Slantz is in favor of limited government, and reducing government control.
Paul Lehmann
Lehmann is the current Green Party candidate for Missouri Governor. Lehmann supports climate action policy to fight climate change in Missouri. He also supports abortion rights, integrating immigrants into Missouri, and dedicating more money to schools.
Lieutenant Governor
The Lieutenant Governor has similar responsibilities to the Vice President of the United States. The Lieutenant Governor will take the responsibilities of the Governor if the Governor is unavailable, and also they serve as President of the Missouri Senate.
Dave Wasinger
Wasinger is currently an attorney as well as the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor. His main policy is ideas of rooting out corruption within the Missouri state government as well as securing its borders.
Richard Brown
Brown is the state representative for Missouri House District 27 and the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor. He is in favor of improving healthcare and quality of life for working class citizens in Missouri.
Ken Iverson
Iverson is a U.S. Navy veteran and the Libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Iverson is in favor of reducing foreign government intervention and upholding the sovereignty of individuals.
Danielle (Dani) Elliot
Elliot is the nominee by the Green Party for the position of Lieutenant Governor. Elliot is running on a policy of helping the elderly and improving our agricultural climate in Missouri.
Senator
Our U.S. Senators are the people who go up to Washington D.C. and help dictate Federal policy that affects all of the United States. This position is what gives Missouri its voice in the Federal government. Senators don’t just make decisions for Missouri, but also represent Missouri and how other states will view the state.
Josh Hawley
Hawley is the incumbent as well as the Republican nominee for US Senator. Now he is running for reelection to fight for religious freedom. Senator Hawley also opposes foreign purchase of American land.
Lucas Kunce
Kunce is a Marine veteran and the Democratic candidate for US Senator. Kunce is against “pointless trillion dollar wars” and in favor of finding new innovations for energy independence.
Jared Young
Young is running as an independent candidate for the role of US Senator. Young is the founder of Missouri’s Better Party which aims to get more moderate, less partisan candidates on ballots.
Nathan Kline
Kline is the Green Party nominee for US Senator. Kline supports a sustainable future for the United States with new climate and energy policy.
Secretary of State
This is one of the most powerful positions in the state government. They deal with information within the state government. They authenticate official acts of the Governor and are the chief elections official for the state.
Denny Hoskins
Hoskins is the Missouri Senator for Missouri District 21 as well as the Republican nominee. Hoskins is in favor of tightening election security within Missouri.
Barbara Phifer
Phifer is the current House Representative for Missouri House District 090 and the Democratic nominee for Secretary of State. Phifer is in favor of making election day a statewide holiday.
In his youth, as many kids do, Kat Burrows didn’t bother his mind very much with the concept of politics. It was something that adults talked about and got mad at each other over, but it didn’t usually infiltrate the world of people his age. However, as he grew up, Kat began to understand more about the issues that surrounded his generation.
“In 2020, I started actually caring about politics and getting to understand them,” Kat, who is a senior at FHN, said. “I was on the internet a lot so I got to see the world from a different point of view.”
For Kat, the internet was a way to connect with people from all walks of life and as a result, he found himself being educated on the political issues that mattered not only to himself, but the people he connected with. Seeing the countless injustices around the world, Kat wanted to take action.
“I got really passionate for fighting for people,” Kat said. “I started posting on the internet about what was happening and that passion got stronger as I saw scary policies get pushed that would directly hurt me and my friends and the people I love.”
As Kat started to solidify his personal values, identity and stances on political issues, like many others like him, he had to come face to face with the world of adults that would argue about politics. Through communication, Kat was able to become closer to his dad, Aaron Burrows, and have a safe place to talk about complicated issues without judgment.
“Social media amplifies our ability to throw out our own leanings and disparage others,” Aaron said. “I had family members come out as LGBTQ+ and thought that the things people in our own families were saying was probably hurtful.”
The difficulties that come with determining the intentions of their own family still persist today. While in-person confrontation has yet to occur, the influence of propaganda on their family and the resulting spread of propaganda from their own family has curated arguments online that manifest into lots of unspoken tension among them.
“If I take what they say at face value it’s pretty steeped in a lot of hatred,” Aaron said. “If I try to interpret their intentions it’s not so intense, but I believe there’s real-life harm done by the stances they are taking.”
While hurt and disagreements can stem from stances on political issues and how people express their stances, it can also be a gateway to closer connections for people like Kat, who is able to have more meaningful conversations with his father,and friends who are all able to relate through the mess of events constantly happening throughout the world.
Political advertisements, especially on social media, have given teenagers more access to information about candidates. Social media is the new outlet for political ads to reach younger people and get them interested in voting.
At the political strategy firm where a senior at FHN Elise Hyman works. She works for a democratic political firm where they work on making sure that the candidate’s message gets out to the public and reaches the right people mostly on different social media platforms.
“We mostly use social media because people usually don’t look at newspapers anymore,” Hyman said.
This increased advertising on social media is leading to more awareness in the community about politics, especially young adults, which is better for the candidate and voters.
Candidates make different types of ads based on what is happening in the community or who they are and what they stand for, so Hyman and her firm could get the message across all social media networks.
“If it’s a video ad then the candidate will create a video or if it’s like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, it would be a digital post,” Hyman said.
To make sure that Hyman and her team reach a certain demographic of people, they use public voter information and data.
“[The advertisement] are really rolled out based on areas or demographics,” Hyman said.
“For targeting ads, based on location or age range [that can be found through] census data, you can only be targeted if you are above the age of 18 and that’s because voter information is public, so we can access that information,” Hyman said. “It gives us things like age, race, and stuff like that. We figure out what the trends are and what people care about through data, to help us bring up topics that people in the community care about.”
This exposure to political advertisement on social media has given teenagers a new understanding about political issues and different points of views. Helping teenagers be more active in the political scene, connecting and speaking out to help others to understand what is going on. This increased advertisement on social media makes teenagers feel like they are included in the topics or social issues that are going on.
Although the rise of political social media advertising has been positive on informating teenagers so far, there are some risks. There are some instances where misinformation and false news has been put out on social media platforms to influence certain groups of people. Advertisement aren’t always true, so it influence impressionable teenager to take in and believe in false information
“Advertisement could be dangerous because you always don’t know if the information is true or not,” Hyman said.
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