By Alexis Algazy
I’m not your typical Gen-Zer. I’m overly tuned in to politics. My roommates, however, are computer science majors, and over the past few years of living together, I can assure you they only pay attention when politics breaks into their feeds.
Digital media provides opportunities for politicians to speak directly to their audiences, like my roommates. But it’s up to the digital communicators behind the screen to ensure the politician they’re working for is positively represented on social media. In recent elections, digital media has often been credited as a politician’s winning factor or downfall.
A perfect example is Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s digital presence leading up to her re-election last fall. Just two days before the preliminary election, for example, a video of Wu speaking to a crowd showed how a dynamic political leader and a skilled social media team can work together. “Will we let the billionaires buy the keys to our city?” she asks. The video cuts to the audience, who all shout “NO!” in unison.
You might ask, isn’t this spliced video just an energized duplicate of what happened in person? Yes! And that’s the entire point. Just a small percentage of constituents are engaged enough to attend a Wu rally. A much larger percentage will come across her digital content. Those in attendance are almost certainly voting for Wu, but those online? They might still need convincing. For them, seeing others support the mayor and care so deeply for her campaign helps them become more invested in her re-election.
For better or worse, politicians who master the use of social media can also take advantage of the shortage of news, especially at the local level. While the national media are still reasonably healthy, many places lack a reliable source of journalism that covers what is going on in their communities.
Amid that vacuum, political candidates can more easily break through with their own message. Although that represents an opportunity to speak to the public in an unfiltered way, it also comes with an ethical responsibility to offer information that is both useful and truthful.
Digital media evolves
Social media has played a role in politics for about two decades now. One early, notable user of social media was Barack Obama during his first presidential campaign. Obama garnered upwards of 2.5 million Facebook supporters back then, making his social media presence more than four times larger than his opponent’s. His Facebook following alongside his internally created social media network, called MyBO, mobilized his supporters to volunteer, fundraise and spread his campaign platform online.
Just eight years later, Donald Trump took social media by storm — a horrific and dangerous storm at that. Trump’s notorious, albeit outlandish posts on what was then known as Twitter received attention attention from millions online.
“North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.,” Trump posted in 2017. Ah, yes! Nearly inciting a nuclear war — great use of social media. And he didn’t stop there. Trump continues posting heinous, offensive and nonsensical posts, mainly to Truth Social, the platform that he owns. As critical of Trump’s heinous posts as I might be, I must give credit where credit is due: he draws endless online attention.
Since Obama’s trailblazing use of social media in the 2008 presidential election, nearly all politicians have hopped online, for better or for worse. Some, like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., find success by creating attention-grabbing videos that help draw attention to issues she cares about. For other, like Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, also of New York, social media brings awkward, distasteful moments to a larger audience. When Schumer spoke the grotesque line that he hadn’t seen “people so aroused in a very, very long time,” the algorithm brought his words to the eyes and ears of a wider audience.
To the advantage of some and the disadvantage of others, social media has become a part of everyday politics. What was once an innovative way to reach voters has long since become an expectation for politicians.
Political campaigns and politicians alike have recognized the value of meeting voters and constituents on social media. In fact, campaigns are investing more in digital media advertisements than in years prior. From just $305.7 million spent on Meta platform ads during the 2020 campaign cycle, about $568.7 million was spent on Meta during the 2024 cycle, an 86.1% increase.
“It really is just an unfiltered way for you to be able to talk to people. When you’re working with traditional media outlets, there’s always a third party in between the messenger and the audience,” said Kaitlyn Solares, digital director for state Attorney General Andrea Campbell. “When you have social media, it really breaks that down … you have direct access to people.”
Telling a story
Beyond acting as a direct means of communication for politicians to speak with constituents, many digital communicators emphasize the importance of an added aspect of digital media in politics: storytelling.
Author and political researcher Dr. Michael Vaughan explains what makes storytelling especially powerful in an article for The London School of Economics and Political Science:
Storytelling is innate to us as human beings — stories help us construct our social world and imbue it with meaning. For political organisations, stories have particular power compared with facts and statistics. They invite audiences to identify with some characters and not others, and can convey complex causal relationships. All that helps create a simplified version of reality with moral and emotional stakes for the audience.
The average voter may not engage with politics until an issue directly affects them. Digital storytelling can cut through that lack of interest by making a candidate and topic more personal for viewers. For example, your everyday constituents may not be familiar with their city’s local economic policies, especially if they do not need financial assistance programs. But when they see how important a policy or proposed policy change is to their neighbors, they will be far more likely to care.
Storytelling “is a way for a politician to lift up other people’s stories,” said a former vertical video producer for the Democratic National Committee who worked on Kamala Harris’ campaign for president. The producer, who asked for anonymity, explained that people often think they understand the nuances of how a policy can affect someone. In reality, though, they fail to understand how detrimental or vital a policy can be. “Being able to make that connection is the storytelling aspect,” she said.
Although Harris did not win, the producer was part of groundbreaking digital media work, such as branding Harris’ TikTok page with artist Charli XCX’s “Brat” album color and joining in on what many referred to as the “hopecore” trend. Videos on TikTok were tagged #hopecore, celebrating wholesome moments in life. The campaign hopped onto the trend, with edits of Harris accompanied by inspiring music.
Although she has no regrets, there is one area the producer wishes she could have tapped into: storytelling.
Particularly at the national level, video content that highlights local people who voters can relate to sometimes resonates more than a candidate speaking to the camera about their platform.
On the state level, using Attorney General Campbell’s office as an example, an average person will not understand a lick of legal jargon. What will cut through, however, is what a lawsuit means for your neighbors or community.
“For a larger audience, and for the majority of people … what really moves them is the human impact of what that lawsuit means for people,” Solares said.
The Mamdani method
In this past election cycle, there was no shortage of exceptionally well-executed digital storytelling. Top of this list? Zohran Mamdani’s victorious mayoral campaign in New York. From the cohesive and eye-catching blue-and-orange color scheme to short-form video content that demanded attention, Mamdani’s digital campaign was one to admire from the standpoint of political communications.
New York City voters and campaign volunteers described Mamdani’s campaign as authentic, personable and unforced.
Ethan Markon is a teacher from New Jersey who commuted into the city to volunteer for Mamdani. For him, Mamdani had a clearly communicated message. Markon especially valued Mamdani’s effort to platform New York City voices throughout his campaign.
“I think the videos that stuck with me the most were the ones where he was letting people on the street share their own stories,” Markon said. “That was really appealing to hear the stories of everyday New Yorkers.”
These videos that stuck out to Markon? Textbook digital storytelling.
New York City voter and Northeastern University student Auden Oakes offered a similar sentiment. “The video that first showed up on my page was about ‘Halalflation,’” he said. “He was interacting with halal vendors. It was a way to demonstrate his policy.”
Halalflation isn’t just a creative term used by Mamdani. In New York City, street vendors were being forced to spend absurd amounts for permits to sell food, and, in turn, raise their costs to cover the price of a permit. Mamdani shared their stories to bring light to the issue. Halalflation also hurt everyday New Yorkers who had to spend more on a meal than they used to. His digital team utilized the voices of real New Yorkers to highlight the rising costs and campaign upon the problem.
Giving a voice to everyday New Yorkers and using their stories to connect policy to real life helps make politics real for voters. If the street vendor you get your morning cup of coffee or lunch from cannot afford to operate without raising prices, you’ll understand a small business owner speaking to their struggles with rising costs.
The missing piece for many politicians is the ability to personalize politics. Digital storytelling makes this far easier, breaking down the jargon-filled barrier between legislative policy and real life.
Gaining traction
Once a campaign successfully speaks to voters, the algorithms that control what users see can actually be a helpful tool, since engaging content leads to more such content breaking through. Mamdani’s videos reached many, and they in turn shared his posts within their own internet bubbles.
“Once you get so much hype, once you get so much attention and clout, you don’t have to put in the work to share your message,” Oakes said, “because the people who you have already shared it to can share it for you.”
Mamdani garnered loyal social media followers who constantly liked, commented on and shared his content. The high engagement helped his posts gain traction, placing his content on the pages of more voters.
The victorious mayoral candidate began his campaign with just 1% name recognition, rapidly growing as election day neared.
“What’s so interesting about Zohran Mamdani’s campaign is this kind of snowball effect that occurred that would have only been possible with social media,” Oakes said. As a New York City voter who was previously less engaged in politics, Oakes was drawn in by Mamdani’s social media campaign.
After hundreds of authentic, powerful digital storytelling efforts and a clearly communicated message for the future of New York City, Mamdani won the election with more than 50% of the vote.
At the outset, Mamdani was a distant longshot. His social media campaign not only gained him the necessary name recognition, but it mobilized volunteers like Markon.
You’ll often hear reporters ask, “Is Mamdani the future of the Democratic Party?”
But the more important question to ask is, “What should the Democratic Party learn from Mamdani?”
Democrats must start speaking to and resonating with voters like my roommates, folks whose attention must be grabbed, who need to hear human stories to resonate with policy issues.
In short, don’t just post on social media. Tell stories. Highlight real voices that can humanize policy, placing everyday people at the center of an issue or campaign platform. With this opportunity comes responsibility. It’s up to Democrats to step up to the plate.
Alexis Algazy is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University majoring in journalism and political science. She is editor-at-large of The Huntington News, an independent student-run newspaper that covers Northeastern.
