The internet is no longer what it once was. Novel, I know. Where we used to use the internet to seek out information, friends, family, or public figures, now, hours and hours of carefully selected Amazon hauls, lip syncs, and babies cuddling puppies are spoon-fed to us by the all-knowing algorithms behind every app on your phone. 

But these algorithms aren't just giving us incredibly catchy, quotable memes. They're also spreading fake news and pushing us further into echo chambers, calcifying our political views and influencing the names we check off at the ballot box. 

It's not easy for political organizations to compete in a digital environment that includes constant entertainment at the touch of your fingertips. Especially, given concerns among some pro-choice groups that their content about abortion, the most mobilizing issue for Democratic voters in the 2022 election, has been met with unfair mass reporting that results in videos being removed and, in some cases, accounts being banned. (TikTok has denied claims of censorship, saying their focus is "providing a safe space for people to express their ideas and creativity, no matter who they are.") 

It's incredibly important that we sound the alarm about what the Republican Party is doing to people with uteruses and queer and trans people. But that may require working against the interests of the for-profit companies whose algorithms dictate what we see. 

I've experienced these challenges in the content I manage for Crooked Media's TikTok. We posted a piece on the importance of the election of attorneys general, as these positions often dictate important policies and enforcement of state abortion laws (as well as election integrity claims). Our video was soon removed for "violating community guidelines," only to be reinstated several days later after an automated review process. 

There are many young people whose values align with those of the Democrats, yet they don't feel connected to the party. When your options are to watch President Biden's State of the Union or an endless stream of literally any kind of content you can imagine tailored exactly to your preferences, the choice is pretty much made for you.

So how do we bridge the gap? According to some observers, as trust in institutions wanes, people, especially young people, are putting more faith in individuals especially through influencer marketing. 

Creators build para social relationships with their audiences that give them a lot of power. As cynical as it may sound, that power is just as valuable to a company trying to sell you a flat-tummy tea as it is to the Democratic Party: the power to persuade someone to take action. The private sector jumped on influencer marketing as early as the 2010s. And the Democratic Party, to their credit, is starting to catch up. 

In 2020, I was on the partnerships team with the Biden campaign. We reached people where they were, whether it was through an Animal Crossing partnership (hey, don't judge us, it was 2020), connecting Biden with digital natives like Liza Koshy, or working with micro-influencers in battleground states. The White House and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are keeping up the work with a thriving TikTok presence and smart partnerships programs that have included bringing climate creators to the White House and sitting down with trans content creator Dylan Mulvaney.

But in order to preserve our dwindling rights, we need to win big in 2024 and we need young people to participate in that win. And to do that, we need the help of content creators. If you aren't the president (or former president) of the United States, bringing content creators into the political fold doesn't just happen overnight. Content creators are protective of their brands, for good reason. But all too often, they avoid talking about politics altogether for fear of being "controversial." 

We can't leave it to the DNC. The party operatives are limited by the cultural cachet of the brands and elected officials they work for and they don't always get it right. When their efforts are perceived as try-hard and out of touch, it doesn't inspire confidence for creators to follow suit. We have to convince content creators that talking about these issues is worthwhile and won't cost them their livelihood.

Content creators are most beholden to their audience. Their ability to leverage their audience's eyeballs and clicks on affiliate links can result in multimillion-dollar houses if they play their cards right. So, they tend to be pretty responsive to what their audience wants. I was shocked that so few of the most influential Gen Z content creators spoke out against the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. But, more than that, I was disappointed that their audiences didn't really seem to mind.

In the wake of George Floyd's murder, it felt like you couldn't escape political activism online, for better or for black-square-level worse. Audiences demanded that individuals with platforms of all sizes use them to spread information and awareness. But as time passes, it feels as though those expectations have gone out the window. Just like all those diversity, equity, and inclusion officers that corporations made a big deal of hiring at the time ever wonder where they are now?

The very real threats that we were so concerned about in 2020 haven't gone away. The threat of police violence against Black Americans remains a constant and undiminished. Roe was overturned. Anti-trans legislation is passing at an alarming rate. Assault rifles remain unbanned in 40 states. Governor Ron DeSantis is enacting increasingly fascist rule over the state of Florida and doesn't have a terrible chance of becoming president. 

It's time that we, as the primary audience on social media, understand and harness our collective power to encourage creators to leap into the "controversial." And, in doing so, prove that talking about lawmakers stripping away our bodily autonomy isn't really "controversial" to us at all but, instead, is something we can no longer afford to stay quiet about. We need to do everything we can to mobilize those who aren't paying attention because those who aren't paying attention to politics are paying attention to what the algorithms tell them to. 

When creators are unwilling to talk about real issues, it feels like we're headed toward a future where we happily stare at mind-numbing screens and fascists take over our government in the background. Or is that the present?

So get in the DMs and the comments of your favorite vlogger, home chef, streamer, or sustainability influencer. Let them know that what's happening politically affects you, their audience, and you'd like to see them make informed content about it. Make them aware of your favorite nonprofit. Give them lists of mutual-aid organizations you care about. Let them know the issues that matter to you and how they can contribute to the conversation. 

I can't promise a creator with millions of followers will read all of their DMs and take them to heart. But if you really connect with a person's content and they aren't using their platform to talk about issues that affect you or your loved ones, you should let them know. After all, they are profiting from your attention  so maybe you can take a little of theirs to fight for what you believe. 

Amelia Montooth