Trending: Get out and vote!
Are you ready to vote? Do you feel prepared for the upcoming election? Do you have the resources needed to vote? If not, social media is the right place to be. All over social media platforms are influencers and everyday people posting links to register to vote, inspirational videos to convince people to vote, and even trending hashtags such as #SettleforBiden to convince every person to vote even if we don't want to.
In the past elections, the biggest issue has been influencing younger generations to get out and vote - so that is the focus of this election. After scrolling through TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, I suddenly realized something. The groundswell is basically a free marketing team for those running for office, with the focus mainly on Biden hopefully.
 |
The energy being produced on these platforms is different than past years, and we can all feel it. It is inspiring, to say the least. Young generations are motivated to create a better future for ourselves - and social media is kickstarting this. In Groundswell by Li and Bernoff (2011) they discuss how companies can benefit off of embracing the groundswell and working with it. That is what this election season is utilizing. Both administrations (mostly Biden) are taking advantage of social media and the power that motivated young individuals have without even lifting a finger.
In the video above, we see how generation Z is using TikTok as a platform to influence one another to vote. Social media is providing free targeted marketing for the Biden and the Trump administration - although Trump supporters are hardly present on the platform, it does happen. It's almost as if voting is the new trend that influencers are convincing others to hop onto.
On top of influencers and young generations using the platform to help motivate people to vote, brands are also utilizing this movement to gain attention and to inspire people to vote. For example, Patagonia has printed "Vote The Assholes Out" on all of their tags, as seen below. Additionally, Gap has created merchandise and face masks with various slogans such as "Vote" or "Stand United" printed on them.
This election has presented a unique opportunity for engaging with the groundswell. It is showing the power that social media has in motivating people, as well as how powerful brands can be when they believe in something. No one is paying these people, or these brands - they are simply utilizing their power and standing up for what they believe in. That is the true power of the groundswell.
It makes me wonder - what is your experience with these messages posted on social media? Have you seen them? If so, have they motivated or inspired you? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section!
Hi Lily
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Although I am an overseas student, I cannot use social media to vote for the President of the United States. But you gave me an idea of how social media works in another way. The power of voting is great, and I learned a lot from your blog.
Hey Lily! I think this is an incredibly important and timely topic to think about and I honestly really liked that the video you attached was bi-partisan. It gave a really informative overview of how youth are organizing and mobilizing themselves politically, and how social media is imperative to that.
ReplyDelete