1. Decoding @realDonaldTrump

"When somebody says something about me, I'm able to go 'bing, bing, bing,' and I take care of it."- Donald Trump

(Illustration by Jens Almroth/The Epoch Times)

Mass media and especially new media has played a profound role in linking the common man with the policy makers. The ease and reach widespread information dissemination through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have created an informal angle to any candidate, enabling to reflect his or her personality. Indeed, the rise of new media has changed the face of political processes. It is as if politics in the 21st century is undergoing a massive revolution, which is being fought 280 characters at a time. 

Donald Trump’s historic victory in November 2016 was probably one of the greatest paradoxes in American political history. Among many other reasons, it has been suggested that Trump’s personal and bold use of Twitter had helped him to get the attention and votes necessary to win a presidential election few initially thought he could. Indeed, Trump’s method has transformed the way political candidates manage their campaigns, and will manage their campaigns for years to come. Social media has provided Trump with a tremendous platform that has allowed him to bypass what he claimed was unfair media coverage and speak directly to the voters. Trump cited it as a method of retaliating to ‘fake news’- stories he considered inaccurate or bad.

In fact, Trump’s celebrity style tweets helped him connect with his supporters, allowing him to garner the favor of the American people. By posting bite-sized and simple content in his tweets, Trump actually overcame the obstacle of the low attention span of users, further refraining himself from in-debt debate. Not only this, he hired top digital strategists to help him with his content. To quote Trump himself, his use of social media is not presidential, it’s ‘MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL’. 

Many believe that many of the facts stated by POTUS in his limited character tweets are false. Nevertheless, his followers only seem to be increasing with each passing day, from 3 million to nearly 46 million new supporters in few years. He vigorously uses social media to mount attacks on political opponents, news outlets and people who in general have criticized him, giving him a personal appeal. He typically gives opponents nicknames such “Crooked Hillary”, "Madman". He even called out Kim Jong Un as "short and fat" and Hillary Clinton the "Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!". However, his most regular target is the media. It took him just four days into his presidency to launch his first attack on the media - praising Fox News's ratings for his inauguration, and mocking CNN at the same time.

To conclude, not only has Donald Trump continued using Twitter since moving into the White House, he's done so with passion. The attention on Trump's Twitter activity has significantly increased since Trump ‘tweeted himself’ into the White House as the 45^th President of the United States: @realDonaldTrump’s 280-character tweets are just what many followers want to hear.