By: Dalet Valles
The talk of the year has been about the 2020 Presidential Election, but when COVID-19 began to spread, talks were taken online and to social media. Online tools have been proven to be one of the biggest aids during this pandemic. School, work, and now politics have been taken to online platforms.
Politics has progressed to social media and online platforms. Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and even the Biola App have been overflowed with political talks. Influencers, news outlets, and everyone imaginable have debated about politics, especially during this election season.
On the Biola App, many students have expressed their opinions about politics. During Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation, students expressed their support or their contradicting opinions to what Barrett stands for. Discussions broke out, and it was evident that politics had made its way into this platform.
Trevor McFadden, says, “People are willing to talk at, not with, each other concerning political matters.” Politics has become very divided and it is made evident during these talks. “On other social media, sometimes it gets out of hand and hostile, but people are pretty respectful of each other on the Biola App,” he says.
McFadden expresses that the first response to opposing views is hostility. Social media has made it possible for someone to hide behind a screen, and when it comes to politics, people use that to their advantage.
Instagram accounts for conservative students at Biola have made an appearance. Whether people support it or not, the account wants to make sure that they spread their views. Biola Conservatism and Byeola Conservatives are some of the few that are rising. Biola students have taken advantage of the easily accessible social media platform. Social media has proven to reach a greater audience, and they are taking advantage of that.
Researching politics has become easier with the help of social media and the internet. News outlets have moved online, allowing people to be connected at all times. During this time, politics is what everyone is interested in which is why many are reporting on it.
Social media platforms like Twitter have seen an increase in political talks. President Trump has used it to report his ongoing. A lot of news outlets have moved to Twitter as well, sharing updates on everything about politics. Some news broadcasts even go to Twitter to screenshot political talks and show them on air. The Twitter “For You” page even has sections for politics and elections. It has become accessible to see politics evolve through social media.
McFadden says, “News outlets moved to social media have made it easy to find reliable sources. It makes it simpler to stay informed about politics, instead of relying on left or right-leaning accounts.” One issue with politics on social media is that many have proven to take sides. It has become difficult to find sources that give all takes of the information.
Online platforms have proven to be one of the most beneficial tools in the time of the pandemic. Many were already used to witnessing political talks on social media, but at this time it has become much more apparent. Since Biola is home to such diverse political opinions, the Biola App has served as an instrument to show those views. It may be something that has been around for a while, but it has risen in popularity.