How strong do the Democratic and Republican parties appear today? What signs indicate that the parties' power is decreasing or increasing?

The strength of the Democratic and Republican parties cannot be defined using quantitative data without first defining what strength means. If strength is defined by the number of each party's members voted into office, then it would appear that the Republican party has more strength than the Democratic party, as Republicans control both the House and Senate, along with the executive branch. The power of the Republican party may also be measured by the key appointees to the Supreme Court, which have created a shift in power within the judiciary system that seems to indicate that the Republican party's strength is increasing, while Democratic power is decreasing. However, with each election there seems to be a surge in social media and internet platform usage that can make it appear as though one or the other party's power is increasing or decreasing.
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have allowed candidates from both parties to have a direct line to voters, and voters seem to feel they have a direct line to their representatives, which in turn allows candidates to appear stronger or weaker depending on positive or negative social media presence. Therefore, it would seem that strength has a direct correlation to internet and social media utilization. The more voters feel they have a voice with their party, the more likely they are to vote for that party's candidate to represent them. This was demonstrated during the 2016 presidential election. Candidate Donald Trump's social media presence allowed him to bypass normal media channels and talk directly to people via Twitter. President Trump seems to have changed the way power is viewed within our political system. The more followers a candidate has, the more power that candidate has to sway voters.