[parineum]

> I think I subconsciously attributed it to the fact that the US President uses Twitter as a major tool of communication, and many journalists followed suit

I think you've got that backwards. Journalists quoting tweets to construct the desired narrative gave legitimacy to twitter.

Trump rode on those coat-tails. His birther campaign should have never gained mainstream traction but the media couldn't help themselves from reporting on a conspiracy theory because Trump is a salacious figure.

They Streisand effected his entire campaign and presidency.