Consumer Priorities in a New Political Era

This is the final issue of Elections Edition, Storyful's newsletter equipping our platform and brand partners with invaluable insights leading up to the U.S. Presidential Election. Subscribe to our other Storyful newsletters.

By Storyful Intelligence Senior Associate Sarah Grant

What's Happening?: As the energy of the election cycle fades, U.S. consumers are recalibrating their focus, shifting from campaign promises to the economic realities of the new administration.

Why It Matters: To understand how the election cycle and its outcome have impacted consumer behavior, Storyful Intelligence analyzed 62k data points spanning two timeframes: November 6, 2023 – January 13, 2024, and November 6, 2024 – January 13, 2025. As social media continues to be a vital barometer of consumer confidence and interests, our findings reveal how politics have played a pivotal role in reshaping conversations across major industries. We highlight four key trends defining business opportunities in 2025 and beyond.

1. Tech Surges as Post-Election Optimism Aligns with Innovation

Our analysis focused on discussions within sector industries—retail, transportation, tourism, and healthcare services—alongside select investment sectors characterized by strong political and economic interplay, including technology, real estate, financial services, and utilities.

Transportation, Healthcare, Real Estate, and Tourism Mentions Got an Election Boost — But Tech Skyrocketed (+637.2%)

Above: Chart comparing sector mentions for Nov. 2023 – Jan. 2024 and Nov. 2024 – Jan. 2025??

Key Insights:

• Big Tech Meets Government: Technology mentions surged within election-related conversations underscoring the sector’s close ties to policy. Tesla CEO Elon Musk dominated conversations with 1.2B hashtags on X following his Trump endorsement and a potential Cabinet role.?
• Efficiency Takes Priority: AI’s rapid ascent, coupled with Musk’s political influence, propelled discussions around “efficiency” in government and technology, with mentions soaring from 9.6k to 129k (+1,243%), e.g., “Let’s hope Tesla’s AI does the same for transport” (7.2k upvotes).?
• Shifting Alignments: Apple CEO Tim Cook’s $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration spurred conversation (29k upvotes), especially as more billionaire industry leaders followed suit.?
• Regulatory Concerns: High-engagement discussions reflected concerns about tariff threats (134 upvotes) to the tech industry and anticipated regulatory shifts (258 comments).

The Storyful Take: As major announcements—like Stargate, Trump’s $500 billion AI investment—shape the AI landscape, businesses must closely monitor the major players—OpenAI, SpaceX, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services—and position AI as a solutions-driven technology.

2. Crypto Revival: Decentralized Finance Gains Momentum

After a quiet year, Trump’s victory sparked a revived interest in cryptocurrency, driven by pro-crypto regulatory announcements.

Crypto Mentions Resurface Post-Election

Above: Volume-over-time chart tracking cryptocurrency mentions in political discourse across X, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, and forums (Nov. 1, 2023–January 22, 2025). Image credit: SEC per Paul Atkins, Coinbase per Trump Coin.

Key Insights:

• Cryptocurrency discussions reflected significantly higher positive sentiment (38%) than other industries. Hashtags #crypto and #bitcoin generated a combined 850 million impressions, with high engagement on deregulation posts (“If crypto deregulation happens, we’re looking at the next big bull run” — 14.3k X likes).?
• Cryptocurrency mentions rose 22% year-over-year, with Bitcoin up 43%, Ethereum 27%, and Solana 18% in online discussions.
• Crypto dominated some of the most popular finance subreddits like r/wallstreetbets (72k mentions), as billionaire investors like Ray Dalio and hedge fund manager Anthony Scaramucci (11k views) increased their stake in AI and decentralized finance.

The Storyful Take: Beyond Coinbase and Binance, watch for Kraken and Gemini’s institutional expansion. Fintech firms like Robinhood and Square (via Cash App) are driving accessibility and are poised to capture consumer interest in digital assets and micro-investing. Meanwhile, traditional finance giants like Fidelity and JPMorgan Chase are integrating blockchain technology and cryptocurrency custody services. Decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions stand to gain traction among younger investors, especially amid rising wealth inequality (154.6k X views).

3. Retail and E-commerce Adapt to Inflationary Pressures

?As expected in any election year, mentions of “economy” soared by 34% and “inflation” rose by 29%, with some blaming “Bidenomics” (6.8k X views) and others pointing to capitalism. On r/antiwork (2.9 million members), consumers felt abandoned by political and corporate responses to inflation.

Top Five Mentioned Discount Retailers?

Above: Volume over time line chart of quarterly mentions of discount retailers and e-commerce platforms across X, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, and forums (Nov. 1, 2023 – January 22, 2025).?

Key Insights:

• Discount Retailers Thrive: Chains like Dollar General and Five Below saw sharp increases in conversation volume amid big expansion plans for 2025. Even on threads pointing to the purported chaos of Dollar General stores, users defended their effective renovations and same-day service.?
• Department Store Challenges: In 2025, more than 2,000 department stores across the U.S. are slated for closure. In r/deadmalls, users remarked on Macy’s announcement to shutter 150 locations as an ominous sign for the industry (491 upvotes) and the brand (74 upvotes), while Nordstrom’s going private was seen as positive (34 upvotes) for the brand, but some users expressed concern for the industry at large (257 comments).

The Storyful Take: E-commerce platforms like Shopify and Amazon are emerging as leaders by emphasizing direct-to-consumer strategies to bypass supply chain volatility. Discount retailers (Dollar General, Five Below) are gaining traction as budget-conscious consumers cut discretionary spending, while big-box retailers (Walmart, Target) are under increasing pressure to manage labor costs, while maintaining competitive pricing.

4. Energy Costs Top Consumer Concerns

Energy Was the Second-Most Popular Topic in Election Discourse

Above: Pie chart showing conversation volume of the most prevalent topics within political discourse across X, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, and forums (Nov. 1, 2023 – January 22, 2025).

Energy conversations have intensified in the wake of Trump’s victory. High engagement around energy costs, combined with the incoming administration’s stance on deregulation, infrastructure investment, and fossil fuels, reignited consumer skepticism across the sector. With the energy sector closely tied to government investment, efficiency, sustainability, and development will be essential to monitor going forward.?

Key Insights:

• Energy-related discussions increased 736% year-over-year, but sentiment remained negative on popular subreddits like r/environment (1.6 million members) and r/energy (204k members), where cost concerns and pro-fossil fuel rhetoric (351 upvotes) dominated.?
• Increased conversation around rising energy costs (+2.5% in December 2024) and trending hashtags like #HighEnergyBills reflect heightened consumer frustration.
• Trump’s pick for energy secretary, a fracking firm CEO who has denied the climate crisis, generated significant conversation (27k upvotes).?

The Storyful Take: Trump’s focus on energy independence may benefit traditional oil and gas companies, but alternative energy providers like Tesla’s SolarCity, First Solar, Sunrun, Plug Power, and Bloom Energy could gain traction if affordability remains a priority.

Stay Ahead in 2025

2025 will be defined by consumer demands for efficiency, regulatory adaption, and digital innovation. It will be critical for businesses to:?

• Prioritize solutions-driven strategies that address efficiency and affordability.
• Track regulatory changes in AI, cryptocurrency, and energy markets.
• Adapt pricing models to appeal to inflation-conscious consumers.

This concludes our Elections Edition newsletter. Stay informed with Storyful’s other newsletters. Subscribe to Deciphering Digital, which unpack the latest trends in online culture, emerging platforms, and brand influence, and Storyful Rx, offering expert insights into health, science, and the evolving medical landscape.