April Eichmeier, assistant professor of emerging media at the University of St. Thomas College of Arts and Sciences, recently spoke with MinnPost about how social media influencers impact Gen Z’s political views and voting behavior while highlighting the role of platforms like TikTok and Instagram in shaping opinions and spreading misinformation.
From the story:
In the age of doomscrolling and brain rot, Gen Z spends an average of 2 hours and 55 minutes a day on social media. When it comes to politics and social platforms, news influencers are everywhere.
Almost 40% of young adults aged 18-29 reported receiving their news through social media news influencers, according to a Pew Research study in November. Of those young adults, 65% said influencers helped shape their perspective on social concerns and current affairs. ...
April Eichmeier, an assistant professor in the department of emerging media at the University of St. Thomas, said the impact of political influencers was one of the most interesting dynamics of the election.
“They’re on a lot of platforms,” Eichmeier said. “Any candidate of course wants to be where their audience is, and social media, particularly for Gen Z, you have to be there if you want to speak with Gen Z.”
Eichmeier said TikTok gained a lot of attention during the election because it is extensively used by Gen Z. She added that despite being relatively new on the scene, TikTok has been controversial, and the app is facing a possible U.S. ban.
“It reaches the audience, no question,” Eichmeier said about politicians still using the app. “But TikTok in particular, I think it puts some politicians in an interesting spot.”
For example, both Vice President Kamala Harris and President-elect Donald Trump used TikTok extensively during their campaigns. When Harris became the Democratic candidate in July, her campaign hired a pack of “feral 25-year-olds,” to latch on to popular editing styles and trending music, according to her deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty.
