How politician Gen Z. use tiktok to connect with

The youngest eligible voters have, historically, been the least likely to vote.

During the 2020 election cycle, only 51.4 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds made it to the polls, an 11-point increase from the 2016 election. So how do politicians encourage an increase in the youth vote and connect with a vastly under-represented voter group?

TikTok, of course.

TikTok is dominated by Gen Z’s, and those who are vying for their loyalty know it. According to Wallaroo Media, 60% of TikTok’s more than one billion monthly users are Gen Z members, making it an attractive marketing tool to capture the attention of the younger generation, and brands to experiment with their advertising campaigns. are known to have taken. The best way is to break (hint: it has to be as ad-hoc as possible).

Now, some politicians are following suit, cracking down on viral trends and doing their best to translate Gen Z humor into their content in an effort to entice young people to vote—and hopefully their For.

This strategy seems natural to young candidates like Christina Huswoodwho used TikTok to help her become one of the youngest representatives in the Kansas state legislature, although at 25 she still felt like she was too old to be on the app when she joined in 2020. It was, as she told podcast host Noel King and the reporter. Aviva Okeson-Haberman,

Huswood introduced himself through the “love story” trend, with the help of the expertise of a Gen Z high schooler, which used remixes. Taylor Swift’s The hit song and was wildly popular in July of that year. There were many variations, but the gist was that the producers would focus on the camera, push it away so that it pops out just before the beat drops, and then dance to the beat. Huswood opted for the Power Walk instead, sharing his campaign priorities in additional text and garnering over 650 thousand views.

Okeson-Haberman also recalls Arizona country recorder candidate Gabriella Cazares-Kelly’s Introduction to Tiktok. One of her early videos finds her riding a scooter on the sidewalk, calling out, “Sorry, I’m indigenous, coming from over there!” It’s reminiscent of the viral “Move, I’m Gay,” Vine. This blunt, factual statement is just the kind of out-of-pocket humor that gets Gen Z’s attention.

For older politicians, their content is not always received as expected. Many use the app to connect with their constituents in a way that wasn’t possible before, blending their personalities between campaign videos, but viewers sometimes find these posts insidious or lewd.

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wisconsin governor Tony Evers Wondering who the judge was in relation to a silly law about cheese delights in his state, he sewed a video, declaring that it was him. It’s Above and Beyond His Most Viewed Videos—More Than Viral strange things Meme he ran to announce the song that would save him from Vecna. (And meanwhile, their rivals in the upcoming midterm are doing well with educational breakdowns, without worrying about what’s popular.) Evers’ audience had mixed reactions, with some finding entertainment in the antics and others. Expressed concern about wasting time.

Recent Florida Congressional Candidates Ken Russell stitched musician skylar stacker, In the original video, Stacker sits down in a pair of sweats and, through a seamless transition, is suddenly in a crop top and shorts. Russell arrives right at the transition, matches his movement and asks whether everyone is registered to vote for the upcoming primaries. In the comments, he called it “typical political bait and switch.” It was a shocking appearance on the FYP, but undoubtedly creative content idea, and Russell’s commentators unanimously loved the idea. One wrote, “I feel like I’m deceived about voting and I love it.”

The list of delegates entering the viral playground goes on and on. Massachusetts Senator ed marque Once used a sort of role-playing trend, asking your audience to see what they were voting for in the comments.