Social media influencers could get their own White House briefing room as Biden looks...

[midian182]

WTF?! Just how much influence do influencers really have? The Biden administration certainly doesn't underestimate the hold these social media stars have on young people. According to a new report, they may be given their own briefing room at the White House as part of a strategy to reach younger demographics ahead of next year's election.

The Biden administration's plan to use influencers could help it reach younger people who do not follow mainstream news or the White House/Democratic Party on social media, reports Axios. It could also be a way for Biden, who has yet to announce his re-election bid, to rival Donald Trump's massive social media presence should the former president become the GOP nominee next year.

Nearly 40% of Gen Z prefers TikTok and Instagram over Google Search, according to Google internal data.

"We're trying to reach young people, but also moms who use different platforms to get information and climate activists and people whose main way of getting information is digital," Jen O'Malley Dillon, White House deputy chief of staff, told Axios.

Four of Biden's digital staffers will reach out to influencers, social media stars, and other independent content creators. The staffers officially work in the White House and are not part of the president's re-election campaign. Rob Flaherty, currently the assistant to the president and director of digital strategy, is said to be leading the push.

@harryjsisson It is insane!!! #greenscreen #greenscreenvideo #fyp ⬠original sound - Harry

Biden's White House already partners with content creators, who are unpaid for their work. Twenty-year-old Harry Sisson (above) looks at the day's news on TikTok. There's also Boston College professor Heather Cox Richardson and former trader Vivian Tu. Sisson had already enquired about recieving White House press briefing passes. "They were actually very responsive to it [the request]," he said. Influencers have also been given access to Biden while he was on the road.

Giving influencers with massive TikTok followings their own White House briefing room seems at odds with the bipartisan criticism of the Chinese-owned app; it was only last month when the Biden administration gave TikTok an ultimatum: sell or be banned. The president, meanwhile, has repeatedly spoken about the negative impact social media can have on young people's mental health.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/98251-social-media-influencers-could-get-their-own-white.html

 

[Arturas]

Influencers, by definition, use their reach to push for product or agenda - they (try to) "influence" their viewers/listeners.
Having the White House use such people to spread specific messages to easily-influenced youth sounds like an AMAZING idea, definitely nothing wrong with that!

 

[NicktheWVAHick]

Hasn’t this administration done enough damage to the country?

 

[Burty117]

Influencers, by definition, use their reach to push for product or agenda - they (try to) "influence" their viewers/listeners.
Having the White House use such people to spread specific messages to easily-influenced youth sounds like an AMAZING idea, definitely nothing wrong with that!

Here in the UK at least, mainstream media influences the elderly to vote for stuff that's clearly a bad idea.

I don't see the difference between using influencers for the young and Rupert Murdoch's empire for the elderly.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Here in the UK at least, mainstream media influences the elderly to vote for stuff that's clearly a bad idea.

I don't see the difference between using influencers for the young and Rupert Murdoch's empire for the elderly.

Well, social media "influencers" can be bought for a few grand. So many ways to bypass any of the (weak) lobbying laws in place. And since they are young, they will push those ideas with far more vigor.

Just food for thought.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

All I see is a propaganda machine to push an agenda no matter how bad it is. Influencers is a nicer word to say propaganda and lobby just like how we replace the term "Affirmative Action" with "Diversity".

 

[Neatfeatguy]

Wait up a moment.

Government is pushing to ban TikTok....now they want internet "influencers" (what a disgusting word to use for these people, they don't deserve to be giving such a glowing recommendation tied to what people classify their work title as) to have access to a special team for the White House?

That just feels like a slap in the face to those that use social media platforms.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Wait up a moment.

Government is pushing to ban TikTok....now they want internet "influencers" (what a disgusting word to use for these people, they don't deserve to be giving such a glowing recommendation tied to what people classify their work title as) to have access to a special team for the White House?

That just feels like a slap in the face to those that use social media platforms.

TPTB just want to make it clear what kind of social media they personally approve of. That is to say, social media they have their tendrils deep inside of. TikTok bucked the trend, so it had to go.

 

[Hexic]

Because nobody can just watch the news anymore.. it has to be somehow incentivised by or directly tied to social media these days.

What a joke.

 

[Uncle Al]

The first step has to be to teach younger people to think independently and not rely on undependable people that haunt the web. Only through independent thinking will come independence .....

 

[Burty117]

Well, social media "influencers" can be bought for a few grand. So many ways to bypass any of the (weak) lobbying laws in place. And since they are young, they will push those ideas with far more vigor.

Just food for thought.

Have you spoken to many of the elderly? They push their views VERY hard. They hear something on the radio or TV and treat it as gospel.

The difference here, I'm not paying a TV license (£160 a year) to be lied to, I'm freely watching some douche lie to me without it costing me anything.

 

[passwordistaco]

Will this separate room have coloring books, juice boxes, and gender-neutral restrooms for those that are "literally shaking" due to current events?

 

[Neatfeatguy]

Have you spoken to many of the elderly? They push their views VERY hard. They hear something on the radio or TV and treat it as gospel.

The difference here, I'm not paying a TV license (£160 a year) to be lied to, I'm freely watching some douche lie to me without it costing me anything.

Just at the cost of your soul....sanity....humanity...

I'm not saying that what you hear on main stream media is any better, because I think it's a bunch of hogwash, too. Sadly, you need to pick the less of two evils - like when you vote - and try to decipher whatever kind of bullcrap they're deciding to shove down your throat that day.

 

[Burty117]

Just at the cost of your soul....sanity....humanity...

I'm not saying that what you hear on main stream media is any better, because I think it's a bunch of hogwash, too. Sadly, you need to pick the less of two evils - like when you vote - and try to decipher whatever kind of bullcrap they're deciding to shove down your throat that day.

Maybe I'm tainted by the elderly here in the UK but choosing between the two evils:

Young people - Don't vote, aren't very wise, easily manipulated.
Elderly - Vote, aren't very smart, Even more easily manipulated.

I'd argue out of the two evils, actually let's put a scenario into this.
The Tory's are campaigning for brexit. They stuck on the side of a bus "£300 million a week to the NHS by leaving EU".

Now that actually worked, and Brexit happened.
If it had been done through social media influencers, The young don't vote, the elderly don't even see the lie let alone believe it, and to top it off, a few influencers probably got twitter cancelled because at least one of their followers did a quick Google and spread the word that there's nothing to backup the claim.

I'm just playing devils advocate here, I don't see anything wrong getting influencers in if we've already normalised the government directly lying to everyone. If it means the young might actually wake up to some of the bullsh*t happening around them and actually vote.

 

[wiyosaya]

Just at the cost of your soul....sanity....humanity...

I'm not saying that what you hear on main stream media is any better, because I think it's a bunch of hogwash, too. Sadly, you need to pick the less of two evils - like when you vote - and try to decipher whatever kind of bullcrap they're deciding to shove down your throat that day.

Definitely, everyone needs a finely tuned, and working, BS detector these days.

That is what I find troubling about this. Biden's "advisors" are giving special access to a bunch of twits who probably cannot tell what is BS even if they stepped in it and smelled it.

I for one, will be paying about as much attention to these influencers - no more so than the attention that I pay to social media in general - which is NONE.

 

[Burty117]

Definitely, everyone needs a finely tuned, and working, BS detector these days.

And that's why the Elderly (in the UK at least) scare me the most. They do not have working BS detectors. Or at least, the vast majority of them don't.

It's why scam callers target that specific demographic. The BS detector doesn't exist. If an extremely strong indian accent guy called "John" calls you from your "bank" because "there appears to be a problem and I need to access your computer" actually works.
Then a politician simply saying "more money to the NHS if we leave the EU" actually sounds reasonable.

 

[3volv3d]

Here in the UK at least, mainstream media influences the elderly to vote for stuff that's clearly a bad idea.

I don't see the difference between using influencers for the young and Rupert Murdoch's empire for the elderly.

I'm sorry but what was the last thing we voted on? Brexit, where every racist had the impression we could shut our borders and dictate who came in or gtfo. Which doesn't happen if you want to trade with France.

Here in the UK at least, mainstream media influences the elderly to vote for stuff that's clearly a bad idea.

I don't see the difference between using influencers for the young and Rupert Murdoch's empire for the elderly.

You need to live in a Democratic society to actual vote on things of importance. Wasn't the last British public vote on brexit, which Cameron only gave because he thought he would stay or put the country in a bind. For him Win win as soon as he realised he could still get £5 million a year like good ol Blair. If you have a choice, they either know the answer already or they will manipulate it to their liking.

And as for the article,
"Nearly 40% of Gen Z prefers TikTok and Instagram over Google Search, according to Google internal data."

So GenZ look at photos of boobs or videos of boobs? But they know what they like and don't need Google search for their curtains, home decor yet. They only wanna look at the candy.

Doesn't matter about influencing GenZ they won't count until they vote in favor of the power and not for the good of the people. Gender fluids can't pick a sex, to be, how can they choose a side. Flip flopping all about the place.

Crazy.... Disclaimer: All comments not to be taken seriously, smoke a reefer and chill winny

 

[AlaskaGuy]

And that's why the Elderly (in the UK at least) scare me the most. They do not have working BS detectors. Or at least, the vast majority of them don't.

It's why scam callers target that specific demographic. The BS detector doesn't exist. If an extremely strong indian accent guy called "John" calls you from your "bank" because "there appears to be a problem and I need to access your computer" actually works.
Then a politician simply saying "more money to the NHS if we leave the EU" actually sounds reasonable.

The young don't even know basic biology ... even more reason they shouldn't vote. With that said it's nice to see the Brits rule themselves once again instead of playing the role of lackey slave to Berlin and Brussels.

 

[Julnor]

The target audience for influencers can't even vote, it's mostly little kids. Influencers probably should be regulated though considering their vulnerable audience.