Meme-ifying 2024: how some young organizers are working to get their peers engaged

Students enter the Zoom room, class is about to start. But this isn't a regular lecture.

"Welcome to 'Memes 101: from Internet Explorer to meme lord," said a representative from Organizer Memes, an anonymous account run by left-leaning Gen Z and young millennials mostly based on X, formally known as Twitter, with 35,000 followers.

They led the class and spoke to NPR anonymously under the account's name due to concerns over being doxxed, or having personal information leaked.

Organizer Memes regularly posts jokes about politicians and issues young progressives care about. They also highlight what it's like working for Democratic campaigns.

Since 2020, they have trained left-leaning groups and organizations on how to meme-ify policy. A timely move as an increasing number of young Americans get their news from social media and do so at a higher rate than older generations.

And this year, as Democrats look to keep Gen Z and millennials engaged, meeting these extremely online generations online may be essential.

NPR sat in on a recent training Organizer Memes held with the South Carolina Young Democrats, an age group and state on the minds of many Democrats ahead of the presidential primary on Feb. 3.

And Organizer Memes has a whole presentation for them on how memes can be used in politics.

"To stand out, you've got to do something different, and memes are something different," the representative from Organizer Memes said. On top of gaining more followers online, they argue memes can be a fast and cheap way to spread information, help fundraise and go on the offensive against political opponents.

It's a brand of digital organizing that has popped up in recent high-profile federal races, including Pennsylvania Democrat