Donald Trump is not the first president to TWEET. But, he’s certainly the most accomplished at it, or the most reviled, or maybe both. No, he’s definitely both. The interesting world of social media has afforded us all the chance to have our thoughts placed in the public arena for consumption by everyone. While many of us are forced into the social media world because of our jobs, I might just be off of Facebook if the job didn’t require it. Then again, I have friends that I would not be in contact with if it weren’t for the forum Facebook provides.
I also use, primarily use, Facebook for work posting video and content from the daily radio show or updates to what’s coming on the next day’s show. It’s a great tool for that. It also allows listeners who may be shy of making that call to the show to speak out when otherwise their voices may not be heard. All of those are benefits to a world I could otherwise ignore.
There is a downside. Facebook posters can be outright nasty and mean to each other, and I am not inclined to edit them because the things I generally post are all about opinion. Everyone is entitled to theirs, even if I disagree. I often LIKE posts I disagree with just because I like that the conversation is available to anyone choosing to participate.
But, I am not the President of the United States. Donald Trump is. And while social media is a good tool for him to counter the negatives that are in the media about him or his policies, it’s always subject to that same scrutiny. President Trump has become a lightning rod just by being elected. The lightning increases every time he chooses to make a Twitter post. Rarely will a Trump Tweet calm the waters of negative response.
Just this week a lifelong friend of mine messaged me on Facebook about the president’s tweets saying that they need to stop. An attorney in her office was talking about how divided the nation is and the tweets are fuel for that fire. I agree. My take, though, is that those waiting to pounce on the president, for good or bad reason, are only a tweet away from having an excuse to fan the flames. Having the mainstream media set against him is also a contributing factor.
We may have entered a new world where this instant communication between the president and the public is so open and raw…I’m just not sure we are all ready for it!