I Didn't Watch the VP Debate

What role do debates play in a 24-hour news cycle?

If even (one of the) most political people you know didn’t tune in, it begs to be asked, what impact do political debates have in 2024? The people who tune in are vastly people who already know who they are voting for, searching for “meme-able” viral content. The debates do not serve the same purpose they did a generation ago, not in a world where breaking news comes across our phones instantaneously throughout the day.