A 2024 Gallup poll found that public trust in mass media remains near historic lows, with only 32% of Americans expressing a significant level of confidence in news outlets. This marks the third consecutive year that this trust metric has dropped below the 40% mark. Recently, more than ever, false and manipulated news is making its way to main-stream news outlets, riddling our political environment with lies and fabricated events. American politics is in an unprecedented state of flux, filled with deceit and uncertainty, leaving U.S. citizens reluctant to participate in any aspect of civics. With ignorance comes poor decision making, and these poor decisions often leave the American people resented or victims to their own citizens.
These statistics show that the American people have a favored option out of the three–the local government. In times of doubt and uncertainty, your local government is for your community and their objective is to cater to their loyal taxpayers, which makes confrontation and expressing your concerns accessible, not out of reach, and completely possible.
Social media on the other hand, is a different story.
Over these past decades, social media has gained more and more avid, relentless users. Per Backlinko, from the year 2010 to 2026, the number of social media usage has gone from 970 million to 5.79 billion, with Americans making up 5.46% of that total. That being said, 253 million Americans are susceptible to internalizing incorrect news everyday. False information bleeds into every nook and cranny of the platforms we loyally tune in to, which creates confusion and inevitable mix-ups, only inciting ignorance and exasperation. This ignorance and exasperation online has undeniably blended into the real world. Events such as January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S Capitol demonstrated how false narratives and conspiracy theories circulating on social media can influence real-world actions. When misinformation spreads faster than verified facts, it can shape public opinion, undermine confidence in institutions, and deepen divisions within society, making it increasingly difficult for people to distinguish truth from fiction.
Government officials have also embraced social media as one of their primary methods of communicating with the public. Presidents, members of Congress, governors, and other elected officials can instantly reach millions of people with a single post, bypassing traditional news organizations that once provided context and questioning. While direct communication allows leaders to speak to citizens without any delay, that also means that misleading or inaccurate statements can spread just as fast as truthful ones. Because social media is available worldwide and accessible to people of almost every age, misinformation posted by influential figures can have consequences far beyond a single community or even single country. Social media has become another avenue through which political leaders can exercise influence over public opinion.
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