Instagram has recently exploded with a bigger debate than blue versus red, and it begs the question: Can you be friends with those standing on the other side?
In the days following Donald Trump’s win, young voters and UF students stormed Instagram to make their voices heard. It was not uncommon to see story posts calling Trump supporters to unfollow, unfriend and even block the original poster.
As an area with a largely democratic majority, Alachua County faced an influx of Instagram stories from students expressing their election disappointment or celebration, and not all of them were ready for peaceful discourse.
According to the University of Virginia Center for Politics and Citizen Data, 77% of Biden and Trump voters believe Americans who support the other side pose “a clear and present danger to America.” Voters said this political polarization is the second highest perceived threat to democracy.
Anthony Leoncio, a 21-year-old UF business senior, said despite differing political beliefs, he believes friendships can survive, but that a person’s political affiliation has major implications on their overall worldview.
A deep connection despite political disagreements can be enough to maintain a friendship, he said, but it can be difficult when friends disagree on important issues.
Leoncio said he cannot accept those who, in his view, oppress minorities.
“I have no interest in beginning new friendships with Trumpies,” he wrote in an Instagram direct message.
Similar to Leoncio, Angela Seminara, a 21-year-old UF English senior, believes it is important to seek shared values when choosing friends. Seminara said differing core values can complicate friendships, as it causes a lack of trust and an inability to maintain vulnerability.
“As a queer person, if someone is voting in a way that puts me and my community in jeopardy, I can never trust them fully,” she said in a text message.
Seminara said she chooses not to be close with certain people with strong opposing views, such as those who support policies that harm the LGTBQ+ community or racial minorities. Despite this, she hasn’t had a friendship end because of political beliefs.
Not everyone can say the same. Zane Menendez, a 19-year-old UF political science senior, worked with the Kamala Harris campaign this election season. Menendez said his experience with the campaign desensitized him to political disagreements, so he doesn’t mind when friends disagree with him.
“I’ve had people scream at me after knocking on their door; a disagreement seems trivial,” he said in an Instagram message.
Menendez said politics does not have to end friendships as long as both parties are respectful and open to other viewpoints. He feels that most everyday interactions aren’t based on political identity, so boundaries regarding beliefs aren’t usually necessary.
Most people aren’t actively focused on politics, he said, so most people don’t know a person’s politics well enough to judge them.
Masie Zasadny, a 22-year-old UF graduate, feels the opposite. Zasadny said people are too comfortable sharing their political beliefs online. Social media is a player in the destruction of political privacy, and a societal tendency to overshare has led to increased conflict, she said.
Zasadny said there are topics that used to be kept private, but now people feel comfortable sharing beliefs and political affiliations online.
“This used to be a very private conversation among households but has now become a full-blown witch hunt,” she said.
As a registered Independent and public advocate for peaceful politics, Zasadny believes it is possible to maintain friendships with those who disagree with her. Politics should never get between loved ones, she said.
“Burning bridges based on the election is a senseless thing to do,” she said.
You can contact Rachel Mish at rmisch@alligator.org. Follow her on X @mish_rache62827.
Rachel Mish is a junior English and business major and the Fall 2024 Food Reporter for The Avenue. In her free time, she enjoys playing pick-up basketball or sewing a gameday outfit.
