In the final stretch before the US presidential elections, both candidates use all kinds of communication tricks to influence the choice of the electorate and, without a doubt, the Democrats and the Kamala Harris her name Taylor Swift it is a powerful “role” to influence public opinion.
A 29-year-old Utah resident, Noelle Drake, said she felt “very sad” about politics ahead of this election year. During the 2020 presidential election, she felt completely disillusioned. However, Taylor Swift — and her fans — helped change his mind, he said.
“With this sense of community I created by interacting with other people Swifties online, it really changed the way I interact with politics this election,” he said.
After Swift endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris a month ago, Dre began following a fan-led campaign group called “Swifties for Kamala.” The group is not officially affiliated with the Harris campaign but is in regular contact with campaign staff.
Since interacting with other like-minded Swifties, Ms. Drake has decided to become more involved in local campaigns in her home state.
Last month, the BBC sent messages to several accounts that liked and commented on Swifties’ posts about Kamala Harris.
While some were already Democratic supporters, others weren’t so sure.
For example, Destiny, 27, from South Carolina, who didn’t want to give her last name, said she and her boyfriend “aren’t that political” but that Swifties’ posts about Harris helped turn her on. voting positively Democrat in this election.
“I really want a woman president who has similar values to me. This is my first election that has led me to vote for this reason,” he said.
Even her boyfriend, who she described as “moderately conservative,” was persuaded to vote for Harris and said he was partially inspired by her lobbying based on some Swifties’ posts about Kamala Harris.
The influence of celebrities on voters
A study from Harvard’s Kennedy School that looked at the impact of celebrities on voter influence found that their “authenticity” could be key to motivating people to get out and vote.
Its author, Ashley Spillane, told the BBC that celebrities are among the “best-placed members of society” when it comes to tackling the causes of voter apathy, such as “lack of information, lack of confidence and lack of motivation.” ”.
“People know them from places outside of politics, which makes their involvement seem deeper and less selfish,” he said. Within 24 hours of Harris endorsing Swift on Instagram, nearly 340,000 people visited vote.gov, a registration website, using a custom link she created.
While Harris has the support of Swift, Beyoncé and a host of other famous celebrities, Trump has fans.
An endorsement from Kid Rock Elon Musk, Jon Voight and YouTubers the Nelk Boys could help him reach young people, in the same way Swift’s endorsement boosted Harris’ profile among young women. Trump’s devoted online supporters also act a bit like “ghosts.”
However, endorsements can fail, according to research.
ONE Quinnipiac University Research at the end of September he discovered that Swift’s endorsement of Harris left 9% of respondents “more enthusiastic” about his candidacy, while 13% “less enthusiastic”.
He also considered how Musk’s endorsement influenced respondents’ opinions for Trump – 13% felt more enthusiastic, while 21% felt less. Ultimately, we won’t know exactly what impact celebrities – and their fans – will have on these elections until after November.
With information from the BBC