Over the last 18 months Donald J. Trump has caused quite a stir among people all around the world. His, somewhat, radical views and ideas are broadcasted worldwide through his Twitter and Instagram accounts. Despite being operated by the same person, the broadcasted message is quite different.
Donald Trump’s twitter account has received a lot of criticism due to his somewhat radical ideas. In a tweet (pictured below) directed toward the hosts of Morning Joe, Trump attacked the hosts by calling, Morning Joe host, Mika Brzezinski a “low I.Q. Crazy Mika” and, Morning Joe host, Joe Scarborough a “psycho” and claims she was “bleeding badly from a facelift” on New Years Eve.
Donald Trump’s remarks toward Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough are broadcasted to the world generating widespread criticism from the bullying nature of his tweets. Trump’s fellow republicans, Senator Ben Sasse and Senator Linsey Graham, tweeted “Please just stop. This isn’t normal and it’s beneath the dignity of your office.” and “Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office…” despite President Trump’s twitter account receiving widespread criticism, his Instagram account, however, generates a different response.
President Trump’s Instagram account, being primarily visual, seems to limit Trump’s ability to present his thoughts and ideas directly. The account is saturated with patriotic images reinforcing Trump’s moto of making “America Great Again.” These images produce a generally positive response from the public.
However, when President Trump attempts to merge the two platforms by posting a picture of a tweet he made, the negative criticism is generated once again.
Affordances
The difference in responses between the two platforms demonstrate James J. Gibson’s idea of “affordances.” Each social media platforms present their own possibilities of interpretation. President Trump’s twitter allows for a more direct communication to the viewers while his Instagram account allows for viewers to attribute their own interpretations without the force of Trump’s direct words guiding them. These interpretations therefore lead to various protest actions and support actions depending on what platform is viewed.
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