Gen-Zers rely on social media to get their news, and Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign strategists are tapping into that. “Kamala IS brat” is just one of many memes on her presidential campaign’s #kamalahq TikTok page that use internet humor and pop culture to connect with young voters. But can the power of memes really win their vote?
Atlanta Civic Circle went to Kennesaw State University to ask young people if this strategy is convincing. All of the students we interviewed said they receive their news from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, mostly through their “explore” feature and not from any one creator or news organization.
Each person had similar thoughts, though — memes have an expiration date.
D’naira Hodges, 18, acknowledged that using pop culture can appeal to younger voters. “I can see why she did that for the younger vote,” Hodges said, referring to Megan Thee Stallion’s performance at Harris’s Atlanta rally. However, Hodges believes Gen-Z has become more attentive to what each candidate will actually try to implement if elected.
She suggested that focusing on policy, rather than bashing opponents, would be a more compelling strategy for her. “It’s simple, but I think if they start with that and stop focusing so much on what the other person is doing,” Hodges said. “It doesn’t really make me want to vote for them.”
Anthony Bates, 19, said turning politics into memes that subtly introduce policy can be a more effective way to engage his generation. However, Bates noted, this strategy doesn’t work on him personally, as he prefers detailed policy discussions.
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Memes are funny – until they’re not
This isn’t the first time politicians have tried to use humor as part of their campaign strategy. Dror Walter, an assistant professor of digital communication at Georgia State University, explained that humor has always been a key component of political campaigns, but he warned that it can have a backlash effect.
Using humor is an effective way for candidates to make political arguments, because it’s disarming, so people will be less likely to counter the argument, said Walter, who studies political candidates’ social media strategies. “If the argument is weak, they’ll evaluate it with less scrutiny.”
When people are focused on understanding the joke, he explained, they’re using less mental energy to critically assess the underlying message. “Basically, you are lowering the capacity of your audience to scrutinize your argument.”
Humor also creates what is known as an “illusory truth effect,” Walter said, where the positive emotions generated by a joke are unconsciously attributed to the person delivering it. When people are funnier, they are perceived as more intelligent, which is helpful for a political candidate.
Walter added that ongoing research indicates that political ideology can play a role in how candidates use humor – and how it is interpreted as well. For instance, satire appeals more to liberals, he said, because it’s often about “punching up at the institution,” which doesn’t fit as easily into conservative ideology.
He cited Harris’s running mate Tim Walz’s joke: “[V]iolent crime was up under Donald Trump. That’s not even counting the crimes he committed.” This kind of humor is more “complex and ironic” than Trump’s nickname joke of “Newscam” for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Walter said, because it connects multiple ideas.
Making jokes about an opponent can also strengthen a candidate’s bonds within their in-group, Walter said. The kinds of jokes someone tells signify what community they are a part of, especially since memes don’t make sense unless you understand the references. If you do, you are probably a part of the group they are trying to target.
“When we make fun of others, we kind of create stronger bonds among the in-group,” Walter said.
Pop culture memes work well in this context because they “energize the base” and make this in-group stronger, he said. “Pop culture is very strong in that it gets us energized, it gets us to the polls.”
But humor isn’t without its risks. “Jokes are very dangerous because when your joke doesn’t land, you’re in trouble. All of us remember ‘Pokemon Go to the Polls,’ right? It was such a bad joke,” Walter said, referring to a joke from Hillary Clinton during a rally in 2016. Overusing humor, he added, can make a candidate appear more like a clown than a credible leader.
Malachi McElroy, 20, agreed with the other KSU students that using memes and pop culture can make a candidate more popular. But, he added, “I don’t care at all” about them.
“I want to actually know what [Harris] has done and how she’ll be helpful, especially for someone who’s going to run the United States,” McElroy said.
