Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Used Social Media to Amass Votes

Savoy, J. (2017). Trump’s and Clinton’s style and rhetoric during the 2016 Presidential Election. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, 25(2), 168-189. doi:10.1080/09296174.2017.1349358

Savoy’s article focuses on how Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton used the social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter to amass votes during the 2016 United States Presidential Election. The author notes how the political duo contrasted in their social media lingo and sentiment to lobby for the support of their followers. The author goes on to state that Trump’s strategy was to focus more on publicity. Consequently, he used applied both positive and negative sentiments to promote his agenda while at the same time exposing the flaws of his opponent. Generally, Trump adopted a simple and direct communication style characterized by short sentences and straightforward expressions. On the other hand, Clinton focused more on relaying positive messages to her support base and taking positions on issues. Clinton’s rhetoric edged towards a professional communication style characterized by descriptive terminologies.  However, as it turned out, Trump’s social media voice earned him great publicity as opposed to his opponent. This article is useful in understanding how the digital rhetoric of a leader can influence his followers' support.  

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