For the first time in history, this presidential election may be heavily decided online. It’s no secret that social media heavily influence modern society, but this time the internet is leaking into the ballot box.
Former President Barack Obama is typically considered the first social media candidate. Obama used YouTube, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook to gain support for his campaign online. This cycle is seeing a revival in that trend at a much larger scale.
After President Joe Biden decided to bow out of the race and endorse his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, the internet has gone wild. Mainly on TikTok, users have shown their excitement about Harris’s campaign in Generation Z’s preferred mode of communication: memes and humor.
Likely most popular are references to Harris’s “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” speech, in which the vice president reminds the audience that “you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” Videos have also been circulating from an interview the vice president did in which she expressed her love for Venn diagrams, which quickly became a meme.
Additionally, pop star Charli XCX’s endorsement with the tweet “Kamala IS brat” has taken the internet by storm and brought attention to Harris’s campaign. People online have also made connections between the election and the TV show "Veep" or the "Hamilton" song “The Election of 1800.”
Across the aisle, former President Donald Trump’s campaign has been a subject of interest online. For starters, Trump’s own TikTok account has garnered over 9 million followers and nearly 23 million likes, outpacing Harris. On X, Elon Musk announcing his strong endorsement for the Trump campaign and pledging hundreds of millions of dollars to his cause following the nominee’s assassination attempt has been heavily discussed.
The Republican National Convention generated significant attention online with appearances from Hulk Hogan, Babydog (which is a keynote speaker’s French bulldog) and even Kai Trump, the candidate’s granddaughter. Videos of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s fall and jokes about Rep. Matt Gaetz’s face have functioned to bring the Republican Party into the meme arena.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, hasn't been void of internet attention either. Vance faced backlash after an interview clip resurfaced wherein he ridiculed both Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for not having any biological children, calling Harris a “childless cat lady." One group who spoke against this view were fans of pop star Taylor Swift, who is also childless and obsessed with her three cats: Meredith, Olivia and Benjamin.
Vance had also been gaining online fame for a rally clip where he awkwardly jokes, “Democrats say that it is racist to believe … well, they say it’s racist to do anything… I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today, and I’m sure they’re going to call that racist too. But—it’s good. I love you guys.”
The real question is how will these candidates put this attention to use. How can this new wave of online attention influence younger voters to come to their support? The answer is simple.
Since Biden’s withdrawal from this race, the 2024 election has become a very different battle. The general consensus online and among younger voters was largely one of begrudging dismay at two candidates above the average life expectancy. Biden’s replacement has sparked excitement among younger voters and the youth is being met right where they are, on social media and online.
The key distinction is how the candidates can ensure that this attention is put to their benefit, instead of turned against them, and how they can ensure that the younger voters are laughing with them instead of laughing at them.
In this respect, it seems that Harris is winning the online battlefield. The Harris team has embraced the newfound attention online. The campaign’s social media platforms have made videos to the song “Femininomenon” by Chappell Roan, created its own Venn diagrams, changed its banner to match Charli XCX’s and even made its social media bio “providing context” in a nod to Harris’s coconut speech. The Trump campaign is, in contrast, receiving the cruel end of social media attention, failing to join in on the joke and trying to pretend it doesn’t exist instead.
This key way of looking at youth support is something that traditional polls fail to account for, yet in this race, it may be the key to securing swing state voters and mobilizing the next generation.
Acknowledgment: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author.
Sources
Comments