It’s been just three months since Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the Democratic presidential nominee, traveling tirelessly, delivering speeches and gathering endorsements. Former President Donald Trump has been equally busy, hosting rallies across the country. But campaigning, of course, is no longer just about where you have rallies and whose hand you shake.
The scope of campaign politics have escaped this confinement and have found their way onto our televisions, in front of the videos we watch on YouTube and, most importantly, in the text messages on our phone. If you’re like me, you can’t go a day without a weird phone number sending a paragraph or two urging you to “pledge your support,” or coercing you into attending a rally across the state.
Here’s a text recently received from NC Democrats, “Jack: No one wants to look back on this moment and think, ‘I wish we’d done more to elect Kamala Harris.’”
And one I just got a few days ago from the Trump campaign: “From Trump: $1,000,000,000. That’s the size of Kamala’s War Chest. EVERY CENT IS DIRTY LIBERAL CASH!”
These texts are not just getting more frequent, but they’re also getting more desperate.
This raises a serious question about how much control we have over the information we receive. When you go to watch cable television, for instance, you forfeit some of your control over what you see when your favorite reruns cut to commercials. Similarly, when you watch YouTube videos, you use the service by forfeiting control over what ads you see.
But people are not choosing to receive these texts, at least not directly. According to the Federal Communications Commission, “In general, robocalls and robotexts to mobile phones require prior consent.” But if I am not giving my consent to receive these messages, how do they get my phone number?
Phone numbers, unfortunately, are not a difficult piece of data for people to acquire. Data companies sell personal information, details we unknowingly forfeit when we agree to interminable terms and conditions to download apps or use internet services. Campaigns then purchase this information, and send texts that are sure to reach their target while costing very little in the process.
These text campaigns are meant to be quick, convincing bursts of politics that one can read quickly, or at least before clicking “Delete and report as spam.” This forces campaigns to condense their message into one or two sentences, and to use highly emotional language with little nuance. When campaigns reduce their messaging to urgent, emotionally-charged soundbites, they strip away the depth that voters need to make informed decisions.
There are also serious questions as to whether or not these campaigns even affect how people vote. Research has been done to see whether or not these campaigns can improve voter turnout, but their impact on voting outcomes is more nebulous. Especially in today’s polarized and divisive times, I can’t imagine a barrage of text messages changing too many people’s minds.
It is not a stretch to say that increased involvement and easily accessible information are good qualities to have in a voting public. It is not hard to do your own research, and to form your own political standpoint.
But bombardments of texts take away the choice of political engagement. It may seem like a few small nuisances that will all be over after election day, but how these text campaigns use your personal data and the type of rhetoric they espouse are not just annoying. In fact, it could prove harmful.
There are many different ways in which people engage in politics. But this level of involvement is up to individuals, not campaigns. In making the choice for you, they frustrate rather than engage, pester rather than convince.
The election is just two days away. These next couple days — hours, even — are the last chance candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have to make their case to the American people, their last run to get enough votes to become the next president of the United States.
What’s important now is to stand firm behind your vote. These are highly stressful times, wrought with uncertainty about the future of our country. Now, more than ever, we cannot let our outlooks be shaken or confused by distressing appeals charged with emotion.
It’s vital to stay informed, stay active and stay vocal regardless of who wins the election.
