I'm Young. I'm Brown. And Kamala Harris' Social Media Team Certainly Has My Attention.
It happened overnight. At least, it feels like it did.
One moment, President Joe Biden announces that he’s dropped out of the 2024 Presidential Election after a debate performance that left us at a loss for words. The next, those dark shadows produce chartreuse and blurred lowercase text — an aesthetic borrowed from Charli XCX’s ”Brat,” the unofficial album of the summer.
We suddenly became aware of the context of all in which we live — one where Kamala Harris, equipped with $310 million that had been fundraised in July alone and a slew of bipartisan support, would win the Democratic presidential nomination and take on Donald Trump.
Since @BidenHQ became @KamalaHQ, Harris’ social media team has been working overtime. They’ve raked a ton of engagement across Instagram, TikTok and other platforms by tapping into emerging sounds, trends and visuals — all while taking satisfying (and fact-based) jabs at Trump, his running mate JD Vance and other Republican adversaries.
It’s all part of an audience-first, IYKYK social strategy that’s energetic and agile — a clear reflection of Harris’ young and savvy social team , who appear to totally grasp the current state of the internet. Arguably, it’s also a reflection of Harris herself, who takes the stage after an eight-year dynasty of sluggish old white men.
Relatability is the cornerstone of Harris’ social campaign, so much so that the team has opted to use her first name to forge a sense of connection with voters online. As a Gen Z woman of color, I find it promising; it’s not often that politicians will meet voters where they are culturally and digitally, and Harris’ campaign is arguably the first with a dedicated approach to win voters like me.
But, relatability is surface