Table of Contents
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign focused relentlessly on portraying Biden as too old and out of his depth to govern. While Republican discipline is not the only reason this narrative took hold among the public, it does not appear to have done any harm.
Now, Flaherty wasn’t wrong when he said that since the last election, the internet has become harder to use, let alone go viral. A video with millions of views might appear on my For You page, but it will never appear on yours. Creating content for specific groups of people can help a campaign reach certain demographics, but it doesn’t inspire shared moments like the ones we’re experiencing with Harris’ rise online.
“We’re seeing a lot of engagement, not just in the vice president’s campaign, but across causes since the announcement was made,” Josh Cook, president of Good Influence, a network of political influencers, told me Tuesday. “There’s a lot of energy, and that benefits everyone across the board.”
Even without Harris’ supporters in the #KHive, her (younger) age and quirky personality allowed her to inspire memes long before she needed them. They created an organic, old-fashioned viral moment, showing her in stark contrast to Biden and Trump. Targeting individuals with personalized content that wasn’t worth sharing in the group chat didn’t work; the candidate and what people thought of her did.
(Speaking of fan groups like KHive, the Harris campaign appears to be activating them. In a post on Wednesday XThe Swifties for Harris account announced a call to young people on Thursday with the campaign.)
The chat room
In X this weekNew York writer Kyle Chayka asked if The infamous Howard Dean scream It would have given him more political capital in 2024 than it did 20 years ago. I’m sure Chayka posed the question at least partly in jest, but I’m going to do my best to answer it seriously because it’s fun and I want to.
For starters, most voters don’t become aware of elections until much later in the election cycle, and after Iowa, Dean’s shoutout was probably one of the first things many voters heard about him. That first impression would shape the rest of his campaign, in which John Kerry and John Edwards were already gaining ground.
While Dean’s team could have put him on TikTok and landed interviews with popular podcasters before his terrible showing in the 2004 Iowa primary, he likely would have suffered similarly destructive consequences today.
Unlike Dean, Kamala Harris is a household name, and replacing Biden gave her a chance to reintroduce herself at a critical moment after the first debate and when the Internet was tired of hearing about two old politicians who sucked.
But I want to know what you think. Is being a dumb, goofy guy more of a liability than a benefit? Even online? Leave a comment on the site or email me at mail@wired.com.
💬 Leave a comment below this article.
WIRED Readings
They want more? Subscribe now for unlimited access to WIRED.
What else are we reading?
🔗 The moral bankruptcy of Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, founders of venture capital firm a16z, recently joined the growing chorus of Silicon Valley leaders supporting Trump. In an article for The Verge this week, Elizabeth Lopatto argues that this push to the right is less of a movement and more of a “cabal.” (The Verge)
🔗 The referee of political campaigns In an interview with Republican political technologist Eric Wilson, FEC Chairman Sean Cooksey says the commission probably Will not implement any new regulations on artificial intelligence and advertising before the election. (Business of Politics Podcast)
🔗 Pop’s hunger for breaking news If you’re a regular person who didn’t have push notifications turned on for Biden campaign account X (🫠), you’ve probably heard about it being removed from some media outlet or group chat. However, more and more young people are getting their news from shitposters and meme accounts, something Taylor Lorenz wrote about in her newsletter this week. (Taylor Lorenz Newsletter)
The download
On this week’s podcast, senior writer Lauren Goode joins me, Leah, and David to talk about the practice of “boogeying” in Silicon Valley. Moments after Harris announced she would seek the Democratic nomination, influential billionaires like Reid Hoffman rushed to endorse her campaign. Listen here Wherever you get your podcasts!
Also, sorry if you’re already tired of the coconut editions, but This one is particularly good And not related to brats!
Thank you for subscribing! If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please share it with someone you know. Otherwise, you can contact me by email. Instagram, Xand Signal in makenakelly.32.