Voters have consistently pleaded for civility between candidates during this election cycle, using images of Obama and Mitt Romney shaking hands before their debate in 2012 as a prime example of putting respect over policy. However, the political frustration we feel today was not born on the 2024 campaign train. It debuted during the summer of 2020, a year that pioneered a political strategy of childish antics that has deteriorated voters’ faith every day since. 

Politically charged content has existed since the dawn of time. In his epic poem, “Aeneid,” Roman poet Virgil, took the opportunity to comment on the actions of Augustus Caesar, who Virgil disliked. Another example comes at the end of George Washington’s first term, when newspapers wrote scathing reviews of Washington’s policies and personal life. What changed in 2020 was the producers, the audience and the reaction. 

A large and tragic event happened in 2020. George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. 

His death, which was recorded by then 17-year-old Darnella Frazier and posted on Instagram,  propelled a lot of activist movements. In using social media, Frazier allowed activism and commentary on protests — and political responses to root themselves there too. 

Following Frazier’s post, social media transformed into a vessel capable of transporting political content. This, paired with the tumultuous political landscape, made way for political content creators to rise. 

One such platform for this growth was TikTok. TikTok rose in popularity in 2020, with their quick clips and creative content making a constantly interesting viewing experience. 

But TikTok wasn’t the only platform to skyrocket in the political landscape. The live-streaming platform Twitch exploded in 2020 and 2021, going from 100 million users in 2015 to 140 million in 2021. In 2023, that number rose to 240 million.

A large reason for this growth was Twitch’s connection to TikTok. Creators on Twitch would cut down their streams to short clips and then post those clips on TikTok. 

And because of the nature of the app, streamers, political or not, had to do something within 15 seconds to keep the viewers’ attention. This brings up the next factor that has shaped the oddities of this election. Political creators needed specific, quick moments where they showed their prowess. They needed a defining moment of victory over their opponent. 

Keep in mind, these viewers were mostly minors, with TikTok finding its popularity in Generation Z, a group mainly consisting of teenagers and young adults, with Pew Research Center reporting that 63% of teenagers aged 13-17 used TikTok in 2023. 

Streamers like Ben Shapiro, Hasan Piker and Vaush would go live almost every night and debate another streamer or react to videos from an opposing channel. They needed to find moments of success over their opposition, focusing on specific one-liners or humiliating moments to repost. 

In short, their virality was driven by clips that would make a teenager react. The nature of these debates was anything but normal. They would include yelling, degrading, interrupting, and the kinds of arguments any rational person would avoid. 

These streamers only posted the most reaction-inducing, angering clips on the internet because that’s what stole teenagers’ attention. Gen Z wanted to consume upsetting information — it kept them energized and angry. It also allowed them to pick sides and put their entire backing behind one streamer. 

Politics have always been divisive, but 2020 transformed the understanding of what a political discussion should be as politically active adults began to act like kids. This reactionary strategy began to entice a new audience as well. 

As more and more millennials and Generation X-ers found their way to TikTok, they began to consume political content directed specifically to Gen Z.

You can see remnants of this acceptance today within Trump’s campaign emails. Language like “Crooked Joe,” “Comrade Kamala” and “Fake News” was born from the attention reactionary content garnered. The more divisive and angering a piece of media was, the more people engaged with it. 

In a way, the content teenagers were consuming enabled the odd attacks politicians use today. Tim Walz could call J.D. Vance “weird” because he knew there was an audience for his actions.   

On the topic of political candidates using these tactics, Trump’s debate practices often reflect his desire to be clipped. His rambling rampage during the presidential debate on the false claim that Haitian migrants were eating cats and dogs is a solid example of this. Every American watching reacted to this falsity. Trump created a singular, reaction-inducing moment that would fit within the 15-second boundary set by social media. 

I want to make something clear: people, especially those who are oppressed in our current society, have every right to be angry and express that as they see fit. Debates, especially those involving candidates, are useful because they mimic the conversations leaders have with one another. 

I am arguing, however, that clipping debates into 15-second videos has turned the political landscape into a childish playground.

Candidates are more focused on a moment of virality than addressing policy. They have become aggressive and antagonistic, actively looking to harm groups of people to support their arguments.

These practices have encouraged people to become apolitical because, in their eyes, the alternative is the dynamic we’ve seen through this election cycle. When politics aim to elicit only negative reactions, people will become apathetic.

Politics will always matter to Americans and it’s good that people have increasingly advocated for their views. But as a first-time voter, it’s so simple to disengage with the political landscape, especially when I’ve grown up with the disturbing behaviors seen today. 

I’m not asking for comfort. I am asking for maturity.

It has been four years since COVID-19. It has been four years since rampant rage was popularized. I’ve grown up since then, and it’s more than fair to expect politics to grow up too.

Edited by Preston Smith | psmith@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Jayden Bates-Bland and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com