I acknowledge that this could be completely invalid, but a Halloween mask sits in a closet, while a Facebook/Twitter follow can be (assuming the user or the alg

I acknowledge that this could be completely invalid, but a Halloween mask sits in a closet, while a Facebook/Twitter follow can be (assuming the user or the algorithm don't bury it) more powerful than any campaign link to voters, well, ever. They're already breaking rules of past elections where a "gaffe" would be endlessly regurgitated by news anchors until the candidate agreed to a heartfelt exclusive sit-down apology with some network. Trump (perhaps unwittingly) has figured out that the direct relationship of social media makes that irrelevant, and is taking full advantage by belittling his social media inferiors. The candidates with good followings are basically getting free focus group testing - I wouldn't be surprised if Trump ran with immigration after floating dozens of wild causes and noticing that immigration had a particular resonance.