The Harris Walz campaign is revitalizing the youthful energy voters were craving earlier in the presidential race, and the social media content it’s producing feels refreshing after years of being subjected to Former President Trump’s habits on X.
Social media isn’t a new factor in presidential elections. Over the years both Republicans and Democrats have taken turns developing new, technological ways to engage with voters, explained Scot Schraufnagel, a political science professor at NIU.
“The Republicans were the first in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, to begin to look for small donors and to look for, well, into the whole like targeting technologies,” Schraufnagel said. “And then (in 2008) Barack Obama, you know, uses the Internet to garner, you know, raise small contributions from lots of people and now, since 2008, in terms of social media usage and president, the Republicans have been the ones playing catch up.”
Social media is helpful to candidates because it gets information to potential voters fast, particularly voters who will most likely support them.
GENERATION Z VOTERS
Generation Z, however, is relatively a new factor in this presidential election.
This generation encompasses those who were born between 1997 and 2012.
For many of us, this is the first presidential election we have the chance to vote in, and we’re becoming politically active quickly. In fact, 57% of the demographic is extremely likely to vote in elections, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
Gen Zers are especially interested in issues relating to human rights and freedoms, both within the United States and beyond. For young adults under age 30, 46% oppose U.S. military aid to Israel and advocate for Palestinian freedom, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center report.
But perhaps because of how these passions differ from the values of older populations, modern-day politicians have not had a great record of keeping Gen Zers satisfied and enthusiastic.
With President Biden at age 81 and Trump at 78, young people have taken to criticizing older politicians, especially older politicians who fail to address the key issues highlighted by the demographic.
One way to get Gen Zers engaged could easily be through social media. After all, another characteristic about Gen Z – whether older generations approve or not – is we sure know how to have fun with TikTok and how to use it for good.
In fact, 52% of Gen Zers feel that social media is important for establishing meaningful connections with others, according to a 2024 study by the Public Religion Research Institute.
“The last campaign to purposefully go out of their way to try to mobilize young people. Was the 2008 Obama campaign, OK? And, and it worked. People showed up,” Schraufnagel said. “We do know they (young people) can be mobilized. And to assume they could be mobilized with social media is a safe assumption.”
KAMALA HQ
To keep Gen Zers engaged, politicians should be using social media to connect with voters, and the Harris Walz campaign has jumped on that initiative enthusiastically. The resulting content is – for lack of better, more professional terms – hilarious and awesome.
Kamala HQ has accounts on TikTok, Instagram, X and other platforms and produces content that embraces the social media trends young people thrive on to push campaigning messages.
Instead of ranting about the alleged woes of the candidate’s own life, Kamala HQ posted a star-themed supercut of cheerful and energetic photos from the Harris Walz campaign to Meghan Thee Stallion’s “Mamushi.”
Instead of name-calling opponents in all caps, Kamala HQ posted a slideshow pointing out that voters will choose between a convicted felon and a former prosecutor this November, all to the beat of “it boy” by artist bbno$ – naturally.
Presidential campaigns should be professional and dignified, but voter engagement can and should be entertaining as well, and this election needs young people to engage.
We should definitely be scared about the results of this election, but it’s good to infuse some excitement and humor into that fear. Students know more than anyone the desperate feeling that is balancing anxiety about next week’s exam with anxiety about the literal future of our world.
In providing that confident energy, Kamala HQ is campaigning with social media in the way such platforms should be utilized.
With luck, the Harris Walz campaign will succeed in revitalizing Gen Z voters to participate in this election, speak out about their values and use their votes wisely.
