2024 U.S. Election: A Showdown of Scandals, AI Spies, and Social Media Meltdowns

1. AI Voter Profiles—Your Facebook Likes Could Get You a President

Consider this: who gets to live in the White House could be determined by your TikTok dances, Instagram likes, and Facebook postings. It sounds like something from an episode of Black Mirror. Political campaigns are using cutting-edge AI in 2024 to monitor everything you like, share, and comment on. These days, polls are based on your social media profile and can determine whether you are more inclined to support a candidate who tweets in all uppercase or who utilizes memes. Data deep diving is more than simply data mining. Has it crept out yet?

AI is assisting campaigns in creating personalized messages that speak directly to your emotions—or your concern of not having the money to pay for healthcare—in this digital age. Anticipate tailored advertisements to appear in your feed that use extensive knowledge of your online preferences to influence your decision. To put it briefly, the bots are more aware of your voting patterns than your grandmother is of your romantic relationships.

2. Scandals So Big, They Make Watergate Look Like a Schoolyard Fight

Politics scandals are as American as apple pie, but 2024 is going to offer a wide variety of scandalous treats. This election is rife with scandal, ranging from claims of foreign meddling (look at you, China and Russia) to possible financial crimes that might make Watergate seem like a playground argument.

If Trump decides to run again, as he most likely will, you would face a litany of charges, impeachment proceedings, and classified materials that would make any telenovela seem insignificant. However, Biden's age and blunders have some questioning whether he is more suited to manage a retirement community than a nation. In the meantime, younger contenders may show forward with novel ideas—or secrets up their sleeves.

And let’s not forget about the third parties. Who knew the Green Party would be getting more airtime? Or that Kanye West might actually run? (Spoiler: He probably will.) 2024 is poised to be the election where “anything could happen” turns into “hold my beer.”

3. In swing states, how you vote matters more than who casts a ballot.

American elections have long been dominated by swing states. However, the way voters cast their ballots in these states in 2024 may be just as significant as the candidates they support. It is similar to playing a game of Monopoly where the rules are always changing due to new voter ID laws, restrictions on mail-in ballots, and a maze of election regulations being enacted at the state level. When you combine it with the likelihood of record turnouts in certain states (we are talking high school prom-level enthusiasm), you have the makings of some really chaotic and contentious election evenings.

Did I forget to mention all the lawsuits? If half of the states are mired in legal disputes over ballots that were "mysteriously lost," "miscounted," or "misplaced," then an election has not taken place. Thus, if you thought 2020 was a spectacular year, prepare yourself: The 2024 legal struggle might need its own Netflix series.

4. Voter misinformation: The New National Pastime

Wait till 2024 if you thought the disinformation in 2020 was outrageous. Expect to witness campaign advertisements that will make you wonder if you have gone down a conspiracy theory rabbit hole, as deepfakes, bots, and "fake news" are spreading like wildfire. Imagine this: just before you go to vote, a video of a candidate saying something absolutely ridiculous (perhaps about pizza or aliens) goes viral. Are you supposed to believe it? The internet suggests differently, but it is probably not. The truth? Not required.

While we are talking about it, do you recall how the world seemed to be ending when social media influencers began supporting political candidates? It is conceivable that TikTokers will be "endorsing" or "debunking" proposals in 2024, transforming every political debate into an Instagram Live event. The "younger voters" who spend more time on TikTok than on their civics assignments deserve your gratitude.

5. The Actual Contest: Which Political Star Is the Biggest?

The days of merely being a career politician are long gone. The year of the political celebrity is 2024. The ability to make an election a media spectacle is more important than simply knowing who is running. It is similar to The Bachelor, but there are more arguments about the budget and less romance. To get voters' attention, politicians must be a mix of reality TV star and social media influencer.

Let us be honest, obtaining a slot on Dancing With the Stars or making a cameo in a Marvel film may be the best political tactic. With viral content, who needs a policy?

6. AI's Impact on Politics—And It Goes Beyond Ads

AI does more than simply forecast your vote based on your search history. It is also influencing the way that candidates speak to you. Real-time speech editing will be done by algorithms that change the language and tone of talks according on whether they are intended for millennials or baby boomers. It is similar to a dating app, except you are selecting the best president rather than swiping left.

Imagine listening to your candidate deliver a speech that expresses exactly what you want to hear (based on your deepest, darkest beliefs as identified by AI). This election may turn out to be a huge psychological test, so forget about important issues. And, dear voter, it is likely that you will not even realize you have been tricked until after you have voted.