Just before former President Donald Trump was rushed off stage at his Pennsylvania rally on July 13, he lifted his fist in the air over the crowd of shocked onlookers, covered in blood and surrounded by Secret Service agents. This display followed an assassination attempt that left him with minor injuries, including a graze on his ear from a bullet.
It comes as no surprise to say that many individuals’ initial reaction to this shocking news was to take to X, formally known as Twitter. Many voters expressed their outrage, amusement, and fear online. The most common reaction among them, however, was humor.
“Sometimes these days, it’s nice to find the humor in the politics. These days, politics can get pretty nasty,” said Timothy Hagle, an associate professor of political science at the University of Iowa.
From somberly subtweeting news articles, overlaying humorous text over infamous political pictures, to texting an ex-partner about recent news as a last-ditch effort to get them back, young people have become creative with their political expression. Thanks to the internet’s ability to reach millions of people at once, X platforms a wide range of responses to the current political climate.
“You are able to expose people who aren’t normally interested in politics and get their attention by something funny. Humor is always a great way to get stuff started,” said Tristen Wendling, a fourth-year political science student at the UI.
There is danger in capturing such a vast audience with ironic, humorous posts, considering they aren’t often factual. With recent cutbacks on content moderation on social media platforms such as X, rumors and jokes can easily be misinterpreted.
One such example is the rumor that vice-presidential candidate JD Vance wrote about having sex with a couch in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” A now-deleted tweet included page citations and a detailed account of the scene from Vance’s book. The rumor grew so popular that it was covered by national news outlets.
From RFK Jr.’s brain worm jokes to Charli XCX tweeting “kamala IS brat,” or Trump doing a TikTok dance with the YouTube group “Nelkboys,” social media is playing a heavy hand in the lead up to this year’s election.
With every election cycle comes an uptick in the internet’s political discourse. The question is just how much of this upcoming race is affected by that discourse.
“Younger folks have a lower turnout rate. So, you have to motivate [younger voters] in some particular way. Sometimes it’s a matter of speaking to a particular group both in terms that they can understand, such as the language they use, as well as addressing and understanding what the concerns of that group are,” Hagle said.
With Vice President Kamala Harris leaning toward a younger demographic and using Gen Z rhetoric in an attempt to involve the younger generation in politics, Hagle wonders if it will be enough.
Half of the new registered voters in Iowa, mostly comprised of Gen Z, identify themselves as independent voters, according to Hagle. He said they have not yet decided how they will vote and have yet to be swayed one way or another.
“Democrats rely on younger voters, but it’s not like the Democrats have a lock on these folks. They often come at an advantage when it comes time for voting. That could be a matter of speaking to their important issues or speaking in terms they appreciate,” Hagle said. “On the other hand, Republicans can talk about a certain issue and get some of those voters as well.”
Harris is reaching large audiences on TikTok, with videos from her account averaging over a million views. The presidential candidate uses popular TikTok sounds, participates in the latest trends, and reveals behind-the-scenes videos of herself and Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Tim Walz.
While Hagle remains skeptical, Wendling predicts a positive response in the polls to Harris’ social media presence.
“Just like any political candidate, there is a strategy to [Harris’ online presence] and I think that strategy is really helping her reach people. The tides have definitely changed on who people are considering voting for,” Wendling said.
Furthering the Democratic party’s goals of reaching young voters, this year’s Democratic National Convention featured around 200 social media influencers — more than ever before. The convention invited TikTok creators, Twitch streamers, and YouTubers to post content from the convention hall in an effort to reach their large, mostly younger audiences.
Trump has also made strides to connect with the younger voters. After recently guest-starring on a popular podcast run by Theo Von, he collaborated with popular streamer Adin Ross and created content with Jake Paul.
“Trump understands, as well, the power of relating to our generation. However, because of the image of an outsider that he often promotes, it is not as much as a crux for him as it is for Kamala,” said Wendling.
With only a few months left until the election results, both candidates will soon discover if their efforts to connect with young voters paid off.
“How we react to things is much faster and our reaction is often completely based on incomplete information,” Hagle said. “Everything is different now because of social media.”