The Democratic National Convention has never been "the place to be." At least not until this year, judging by the videos of the influencers who have been parading down the blue carpet of Chicago's United Center since Monday, August 19, taking selfies with delegates, sipping a glass of champagne on a luxury boat or screaming their hearts out at Barack Obama's arrival on stage, wearing their "Harris Walz" caps.
For the first time, 200 content creators were accredited by the Democratic Party to cover the convention, with unprecedented access to events and guests, similar to that of journalists. Five of them were offered an appearance on stage – the same stage on which Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and other stars of the party have been appearing for the past three days. Among them was influencer Deja Foxx, with 140,000 followers on TikTok. In between two "outfits of the day," she summed up her remarks, organized on Monday. "I got to shine a light on the issues that I know are top of mind for you, things like reproductive rights, cost of living, student debt," the young woman said emotionally to the camera that very evening in a video with whirling editing, just like her first day on site.
These images are the embodiment of a new strategy for the Democratic Party: reaching out to the new generation of voters where they are. "Kamala Harris is courting these influencers because they can reach young voters who don't look at traditional media," said Thomas Gift, director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London. According to a Pew Research Center study from November 2023, almost half of Americans get their information, at least in part, from social media. Among those under 30, a third "regularly" get their news from TikTok. It's impossible for parties to "remain deaf to the influence of these platforms," Gift said.
Donald Trump also tried to capitalize on these pop culture personalities by inviting model Amber Rose to appear on stage at the Republican National Convention in July. The former president, already a compulsive social media user during his 2016 campaign (on Twitter at the time), also hasn't hesitated to appear alongside mega-influencers like Logan Paul or Adin Ross. For their part, the Democrats are catching up with the firepower of the MAGA movement ("Make America Great Again," Trump's slogan) on the internet.
Since Harris entered the race for the White House on July 21, "Kamalamania" enthusiasts have flooded social media with humorous and creative memes about the candidate's dance steps and bursts of laughter, which in just a few weeks have become symbols of renewed Democratic enthusiasm – symbols that the party has not been shy about disseminating at the Chicago venues.
For YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, "by welcoming different voices, the convention managed to break the mold of a somewhat old-fashioned, stilted event," and to generate interest among a very wide audience. "On my own, I can reach 6 to 7 million people who wouldn't otherwise be interested in politics," he pointed out. His latest video opens with American rapper Lil Jon bursting into the convention on Tuesday night, wearing a shiny chain around his neck and dark glasses, to a few bars of "Turn Down for What": a "surprise guest" who "rocks Day 2," according to the title of the video.
Influencers know how to hold their audience's attention. They also know how to earn their trust. If they have such persuasive power with their followers, "it's because they talk to them as equals as if they were talking to a friend," emphasized Brian Rolling, co-founder of MurMur Impact, a group that helps young people get involved for the progressive American cause by accompanying them in creating online content. For him, "authenticity" reigns in this new form of communication, which "could have an influence on the outcome of the November vote."
On Instagram, Sari Beth Rosenberg, another influencer, has been filming backstage at the convention, approaching the stars but also "local delegates and everyday people." "Let's pretend I'm your buddy there. Tell me what you want to see and I'll try to show it to you," she promises from the bed of her hotel room. Actress and singer Malynda Hale also guarantees "unfiltered" content for her 53,000 followers.
For Gift, this apparent authenticity is not without risk. "The regulatory framework is very vague at the moment, and nothing would oblige them to stipulate whether they were paid for these publications," he said. The influencers interviewed by Le Monde stated, however, that they received neither compensation nor instructions from the party to cover the event.
To pay for the hotel and travel, Kory Aversa, known to his 129,000 TikTok followers as Philly Publicist, even spoke of a financial "sacrifice." But "this election is too important, I had to be there, and take my followers," he said. "When Joe Biden took the stage, it was such an emotional moment, everyone cried," said the Philadelphia LGBTQ+ influencer. The mainstream media can tell it well, he conceded – Le Monde, for example, held back the "tear in [his] eye" – "but watching my video, I want you to be there crying with me." So that maybe in November, you'll vote like him?
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.