Washington
US Ohio Governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he will leave social media this year, calling it part of his New Year resolution. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, he said he deleted X and Instagram from his phone on New Year’s Eve.
Ramaswamy explained that while social media was initially meant to connect leaders with voters, modern algorithms distort reality, amplifying negativity and polarisation. “If you mistake online commentary for real-world consensus, you make decisions based on a distorted picture of what citizens really want,” he wrote.
The Republican candidate said he will rely on campaign teams for online outreach while spending time engaging with voters in person. He cited his own experience across Ohio in 2025, noting that racial slurs online did not reflect the views of real voters.
Ramaswamy also highlighted the role of bots in spreading misinformation, including false narratives around the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.
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He said the resolution is partly experimental and joked he might return to scrolling X by March, inviting fellow Republicans to consider a similar approach to better connect with voters.
