ABSTRACT
The 2020 presidential election was contentious, and political rhetoric and discourse on social media and in public speeches—which were posted on social media—led to a mob attacking the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. President Donald Trump’s role, related to inciting the attempted insurrection, led the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach him a second time. Trump’s use of social media—particularly Twitter—allowed the American electorate to hear unfiltered and unmediated messaging and narratives that reinforced their already held beliefs, thus intensifying an already politically divided nation. Social media and social networking services (SNS) enable users to engage in selective exposure by avoiding perspectives and arguments from the opposing side, consequently causing an echo chamber. This chapter lays the foundation as to why it is imperative to better understand the role of social media in politics.
