The 2008 Obama presidential campaign was the first to use social media extensively, with Obamas Twitter account garnering millions of followers.
The 2016 U.S. election was significantly impacted by the spread of fake news on social media platforms, influencing voter perceptions.
The Arab Spring in 2010 exemplified the major role social media can play in socio-political change, enabling the coordination of mass protests.
In 2020, during the U.S. elections, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook tightened controls on misinformation, marking a significant shift in policy.
The Cambridge Analytica scandal that surfaced in 2018 highlighted the misuse of personal data from Facebook for political advertising purposes.
Following the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, studies showed about a quarter of U.S. adults got political content from social media, influencing their opinions.