Signals in the Noise: Election Edition analyzed the narratives leading up to the 2024 election, focusing on economic issues, immigration, voting rights, race and gender justice. ReFrame’s analysis showed how narrative transcends ideology, taking on different meanings across audiences to shape online discourse. These narratives and the stories and messages that funnel them influenced voter behavior and perceptions of the role of government and governance, policies, candidates and their campaign promises. The mood and tone in election conversations were agitational, authoritative, urgent, concerned, informative, hopeful and empowering. Core values included equity, accountability, compassion, justice, empowerment, autonomy, integrity, community, safety and security.
The media ecosystem moves at a mile a minute, creating a complex narrative terrain where millions of stories and messages intersect and overlap. Some narrative battles challenge people’s core (and sometimes contradictory) beliefs and values; narrative battles allow us to combat harmful stories and messages and determine where and how to pick narrative fights on our terms.
This Election Season’s Narrative Battles
Economic Justice
Corporate interests and the needs of the working class clashed in narrative battles over which candidate was better for the economy. These stories and messages highlighted contrasting approaches to economic issues, like inflation or housing, and reflected differences in beliefs and values about class and equity.
Democracy
Throughout the election season, narratives questioning election integrity and security circulated at the same volume as positive content about GOTV. The right reversed its earlier disapproval of early and mail-in voting and instead pushed messaging urging unity for its preferred candidate.
The Palestine Exception
Demands for a ceasefire and an arms embargo on Israel were permanent fixtures in stories and conversations about the election, from protest voting to post-election blame game discourse.
Safety and Security
Mis-and disinformation fueled distrust in electoral processes and led to fears around election day violence and voter intimidation.
Gender and Racial Justice
Xenophobic depictions of immigrants as threats clashed with scarcity narratives and tensions about resource allocation. These stories, messages and conversations scapegoated immigrants throughout the election cycle.
There was a recognition of Black voting power from both political parties and legacy media, but it bordered on reliance on outdated stereotypes, tokenization and exploitation.
“States rights,” bioessentialism, disinformation and harmful discourse challenged reproductive rights and trans rights across election conversations.
Scarcity narratives demonizing queer and trans people created a wedge between liberal women and the trans community on bodily autonomy.
Where do we go from here?
We understand the narrative landscape as an uneven playing field. In these narrative battles, harmful narratives could deepen societal divides, perpetuate injustice and erode trust in democratic processes. As we prepare for a second Trump administration, it is clear movement strategists, organizers and allied formations must:
Pool our resources, minimize our tactical squabbling and build our narrative infrastructure.
Invest the time and capacity together, especially around the economy, democracy and the role of government, to answer some of the vital narrative questions of our time. What narratives are we working to seed, especially around the economy, democracy, the role of government and safety?
Expand our reach far beyond our bases and inner circles.
Tell better stories: name the enemy, offer compelling alternatives and use plain language to meet folks where they are.
We will need fortified organizers, communicators, influencers and practitioners for the long haul, and that requires our sustained vision, collective power, and unyielding determination. We must fortify our numbers and grow movement communications and narrative infrastructure for the long haul.
These stories, messages and narratives we have elevated will endure through the end of this year, into 2025 and beyond. Team ReFrame will be there every step of the way rigorously assessing the data, staying steadfast and visionary in our interventions and continuing to build the narrative north stars we need.
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