One of the major factors that differentiates this upcoming election from the previous one is the eight million members of Gen Z who are now eligible to vote, bringing the total voting power of this group to just under forty-one million. To address this new electoral variable, the two presidential candidates have resorted to utilizing “trendy” rhetoric and tactics in order to connect with young voters.
Although both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have adopted this strategy, the audiences they are conveying their messages to are polar opposites.
Trump consistently polls higher with young men than women, while the opposite phenomenon is true for Kamala Harris.
“Trump’s messaging really resonates with younger men in a way that Kamala Harris really doesn’t,” says Fifth Former Joseph Kahana.
Trump frequently goes out of his way to do things that specifically pander to male audiences, such as attending wrestling matches and appearing in the social media content of popular male influencers. All of these actions are geared towards winning over Gen Z men to his side for the upcoming election.
Harris, meanwhile, has taken a similar approach, but instead of targeting male voters, her marketing mostly appeals to young women. Currently, Harris has somewhat famously embraced “brat culture,” a term kickstarted by English songwriter Charli XCX which refers to the mentality of “unapologetically being oneself.” This is a phenomenon which has mostly been embraced by young women.
Both campaigns have used various memes and social media styles common among younger generations to maximize outreach to that demographic.
As we enter an age where Gen Z meme culture becomes a greater presence in presidential elections, we should consider if this is a wise step.
Sixth Former Davin Schulson thinks that “memes are where society is going,” and that the candidates “should be having their teams be making them.”
As a political strategy, this thinking makes sense: if one at least pretends to be interested in a voting group, then that group will be more likely to relate to you.
However, one risks various social issues when presidential candidates lower themselves into the realm of meme culture.
Normalizing memes in elections dilutes the gravity of politics as a whole.
“It’s funny, but I also think it is harmful because that is the image which younger people are getting—that these candidates are treating politics as a game, when it’s nothing like a game,” Sixth Former Charlie Noble said.
“I think they are trying to get elected; I don’t think it is particularly good for the U.S. as a whole,” Kahana said.
Normalizing memes in elections dilutes the gravity of politics as a whole. If society enters into a state where the younger population dictates how the older one reacts, we are risking a world where the inexperienced and uneducated have more power than the hopefully knowledgeable and wise.
The older and supposedly mature political leaders of America should set the precedent for proper cultural behavior, not stoop down to the ideas of the younger generation.
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