Did social media create an alternate reality?

What is one thing we’ve learned since the elections of 2016?

Social media, particularly Twitter, does not reflect reality.

If real politics reflected Twitter, Sanders would already be the Democratic nominee for 2020. He’s got an overwhelming amount of support when it comes to the platform, which is popular with his demographic: Young voters.

Unfortunately, for Sanders, Twitter isn’t the most popular platform with young people in general. Nor, as we found out Super Tuesday, are the majority of young people that interested in voting. Twitter, in this case, essentially became a feedback loop for the Sanders campaign and his voters. He bet the farm on drawing them in, his supporters believed it was going to happen, they posted and shared exponentially, which led Sanders’ campaign crew to focus on Twitter even more. Twitter made it seem like it was going to happen for Sanders this time. In the end, it didn’t.

For many young people, the lack of turnout was a major shock. They were surrounded by their peers on Twitter who amplified their voices, making them so loud that the major media outlets even believed it.