In September of last year, Ashley Renne, who boasts over 100,000 followers on Instagram, shared a video of her meeting with President Joe Biden and showed her support for his Inflation Reduction Act. However, her support has since diminished, along with other influencers who were once vital to the administration’s outreach to younger voters.
Renne has expressed a disconnect between her perceptions of what the government is doing and what the people want, and has even recommended researching third-party candidates prior to the primaries in one of her recent posts. As a result, the administration’s reliance on influencers this time around is proving challenging due to the state of the country and the disillusionment with the administration.
The administration’s link to social media influencers, such as Renne, has allowed a level of engagement that no other president has had. However, not all of these influencers are satisfied. Some are expressing frustration over the administration’s response to the political tensions in the Middle East and its lack of action on various domestic issues.
Moving forward, the Biden campaign plans to intensify its collaboration with influencers to reach young audiences. They intend to work with influencers on regional and niche issues to connect with communities that the campaign may not reach traditionally.
As the campaign gears up for the next presidential election, targeting young voters is crucial as recent research from the Pew Research Center suggests that a third of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 get their news from TikTok. Understanding the larger shift in media consumption habits and reaching young voters through influencers will be an essential component of the Biden campaign’s strategy.
