Both the Democratic and Republican parties have been making intense efforts to capture online attention and generate viral hype around their presidential campaigns. The Republican National Convention, which took place in Milwaukee in July, issued credentials to more than 70 content creators.
“Bringing creators to our convention will multiply our reach and ensure that everyone can witness democracy in action,” said Cayana Mackey-Nance, director of digital strategy for the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC). “We’re confident that when the world turns to Chicago in August on their phones, tablets or TVs, they’ll see exactly who Democrats are and the future that we’re fighting for.”
Whether a candidate winning more viral online attention at this stage of the campaign would necessarily translate into a significant boost on Election Day is unclear. But hosting content creators at the Democratic National Convention for the first time could help raise Harris’s profile with people who typically don’t follow party events.
Recent studies have found that many voters in the United States have relatively low trust in traditional media. At the same time, content creators have become a major source of news, information and entertainment for many — especially young people.
The creators slated to attend the Chicago convention, some with millions of followers, span a wide range of demographics, locations and audiences. They include TikTok stars, YouTube creators, Instagram news commentators and influential personalities on more-niche apps such as Instagram’s Threads.
“People are living on their phones and on social media, and they have people who they trust. It’s those people who the DNC is credentialing,” said Stuart Perelmuter, founder and chief executive of Good Influence, an influencer advocacy network that connects creators with various causes. “I think that [this decision] shows that Democrats are ready and eager to meet people where they are.”
Creators invited to the Democratic convention include political YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, who has nearly 3 million subscribers on the platform; Josh Helfgott, a TikTok creator with more than 5 million followers who covers LGBTQ+ issues; Leigh McGowan, a creator known as “politics girl” who has more than 670,000 followers on TikTok; and Elizabeth Booker Houston, a comedian and content creator with more than 250,000 followers on Instagram.
Online creators attending the convention will be able to use dedicated work spaces at Chicago’s United Center and have access to party surrogates, similar to traditional media in attendance. Credentialed creators will also be able to capture content at related events throughout the city, such as third-party panel discussions, bringing their audiences along for the ride.
The DNCC invited creators to apply for convention credentials in June, at a time when the party’s efforts to spur online enthusiasm for President Biden were getting mixed results. Some influential online figures who had backed his 2020 presidential campaign turned against Biden over his policies on the war in Gaza, climate change, the coronavirus and a potential TikTok ban.
Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and endorse Harris abruptly changed the Democratic Party’s online profile, and thousands of creators rushed to support her through memes and videos.
“I could feel the energy shift online immediately. Everything clicked, it felt like a sea change,” said Sari Beth Rosenberg, a politics and history content creator in New York City. When she posted this week that she will be attending the convention in Chicago, her followers rejoiced, Rosenberg said. “The enthusiasm is so palpable even across the internet.”
Malynda Hale, an influencer in Los Angeles who covers politics and social justice and who received credentials for the convention, said she is already planning interviews with delegates and lawmakers at the event to serve to her more than 50,000 Instagram followers.
“I want to really ask the questions that a lot of people are asking in regards to this election,” she said. “[About] what the Democrats will do to make people feel safe and comfortable moving into this next year.”
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