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The return of Donald J. Trump to the White House is already causing some nervous hand-wringing on social media. What impact will he have on the most popular social media platforms? And will he upset the delicate balance of power that exists among the big Silicon Valley social media players?
Those are legitimate questions to ask, given some of the recent strangeness that we’ve already witnessed. Elon Musk, for example, never seems to leave Donald Trump’s side these days. And what about Mark Zuckerberg, who recently completed a trip to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump face-to-face? Everyone, it seems, is now angling for Donald Trump’s attention. So who will the big winners be?
X (formerly known as Twitter)
Most likely, the biggest beneficiary will be X, which has been embraced by Trump and his social media team. In fact, some of the biggest speculation is that Trump might eventually fold his own social media platform (Truth Social) into X, as part of some kind of mega-merger. Trump likes to do deals, and he seems to have developed both a personal and business bond with Elon Musk. But he also likes to come out on top, and it’s questionable whether his ego will enable him to admit that Truth Social is a second-tier social media platform.
No doubt, the positive vibes now surrounding the Trump administration will work wonders for X, in terms of attracting new users, new revenue sources, and new advertising partners. At one time, it looked like the mainstream media was going to shut down X entirely. But now, in a stunning reversal, it looks like X will be the victor, and news platforms such as MSNBC will be the big losers. One rumor, for example, is that Elon Musk will simply buy MSNBC outright, gut its programming, fire all the Trump haters, and re-make MSNBC into a propaganda arm of the White House, along the lines of a Fox News. (Ouch!)
TikTok
Another big winner could be TikTok, which is facing a potential ban starting in January. According to the current timeline, TikTok is set to be banned entirely for U.S. users starting on January 19 if it can’t find a non-Chinese owner. Will that still happen? Or will Trump find a way to reverse (or, at least, soften) the ban?
This is a dicey one to figure out. After all, it was Donald Trump who put the whole “let’s ban TikTok” movement into place during his first administration. At the time, he was convinced that TikTok was an evil tool of the Chinese Communist Party, and he wanted it banned from America. But then came the Biden administration, the clampdown on free speech, and the censorship of many MAGA supporters.
So now Trump seems to have flipped entirely on the matter. He now thinks TikTok should be protected on free speech grounds, and that any attempts to ban it will result in the banning of other social media platforms that are not aligned with the conventional political narrative – and that includes his own Truth Social platform.
The only question, really, is whether TikTok is going to garner any real political attention between now and January 19. After all, there’s the economy. There’s the border. And there’s the imminent threat of World War III on about five different continents. Compared to all that, deciding what to do with TikTok seems like a minor concern.
A changing of the guard in Silicon Valley
One thing is certain, though: there will be a changing of the guard in Silicon Valley. For years, people have been predicting the demise of Facebook, and that’s something that Mark Zuckerberg finally seems to be realizing. Why else would he make the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to “kiss the ring” of Trump? It was almost as embarrassing as those two MSNBC “Morning Joe” hosts also making the trip to Mar-a-Lago to beg for forgiveness.
We live in strange times right now. A former reality TV host (Joe Rogan) is now one of the most powerful people in the media. A former reality TV host (Donald Trump) is now in the White House. Social media influencers have bigger audiences than Hollywood film stars. And short TikTok videos can get more eyeballs, clicks, and impressions than a full 30-minute TV show.
Against this backdrop, be prepared for a lot of change. And not the kind of steady, gradual change you might want. This is a Trump White House now, and much of this change will likely be chaotic. So buckle up, it will be a hectic four years.
