kevineruby on Nostr: As the US election nears and continues drawing everything in our culture into its ...
As the US election nears and continues drawing everything in our culture into its bottomless vortex, one facet stands out to me: it’s become a proxy for the ongoing war between traditional and new media.
The Trump universe seems to have embraced more unscripted, direct-to-reader media like podcasts, Substack and certainly X a long time ago. Hell, Trump even started his own social media platform. We can argue whether this communications revolution on the right exists for reasons of censorship or something else, but it’s definitely happening.
On the other hand, the Democrats have spent much of 2016-2024 communicating with the public from a distance through traditional outlets like cable news and major newspapers. Only now, a month before the election, has Kamala begun to appear on podcasts.
Whatever happens in November, I don’t think anyone believes legacy media is going to suddenly start regaining mindshare from newer platforms. The contest between new and old in the world of information is most definitely ending in a landslide, even if the election remains a tossup.
The Trump universe seems to have embraced more unscripted, direct-to-reader media like podcasts, Substack and certainly X a long time ago. Hell, Trump even started his own social media platform. We can argue whether this communications revolution on the right exists for reasons of censorship or something else, but it’s definitely happening.
On the other hand, the Democrats have spent much of 2016-2024 communicating with the public from a distance through traditional outlets like cable news and major newspapers. Only now, a month before the election, has Kamala begun to appear on podcasts.
Whatever happens in November, I don’t think anyone believes legacy media is going to suddenly start regaining mindshare from newer platforms. The contest between new and old in the world of information is most definitely ending in a landslide, even if the election remains a tossup.