Digital technology first supported platforms where users could access static documents and brochures, but soon hosted sites with interactive features. Changes became more radical when the Internet emerged as a delivery system for political content in the 1990s. The new media era began with the infotainment trend in the 1980s when television talk shows, talk radio, and tabloid papers took on enhanced political roles. The scope of these new media developments is vast, encompassing both legacy sources as well as entirely novel communication platforms made possible by emerging technologies. The political media system in the United States has undergone massive transformations over the past three decades. Finally, the disappearance of local news outlets and the resulting increase in “news deserts” has allowed social-media messages to become a primary source of information in places where Donald Trump’s support is most robust. Next, the emergence of the political “Twitterverse,” which has become a locus of communication between politicians, citizens, and the press, has coarsened political discourse, fostered “rule by tweet,” and advanced the spread of misinformation. First, there is a major shift in how and where people get political information, as more people turn to digital sources and abandon television news.

This article explores three major trends related to the rise of social media that are relevant for democratic politics in the United States. During the past decade, social media have become powerful political tools in campaigns and governing.

The American media system has undergone significant transformations since the advent of new media in the late 1980s.

Political landscape synonym