Kamala-nomenon: how Kamala Harris's candidacy has shaken social media

Are we officially in brat summer?

Kamala-nomenon has dominated social media since President Biden’s decision to not run for a second term. Instagram, TikTok and X have fully embraced the possibility of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee- supporters are energised and have taken to social media to show it!

TikTok in particular has been a hub for pro Trump content for the past several months, but this is shifting. Content now favourably highlights Harris’s quirkiness and ties to cool girl anthems from Beyonce and Charli XCX. Harris memes are flooding feeds, with video edits of her viral phrases, quirky tangents and “girl boss” moments — like this video of Harris laughing away, with a hint of signature Gen-Z irony.

Kamala HQ is embracing this momentum, using the new-found spotlight and TikTok to capture younger voters. It’s rebranded the Biden HQ account, amassing over 40% of likes the account has ever received in just three days. Overall, the Harris campaign’s social accounts have gained a huge influx of followers. Data from InsTrack shows @KamalaHQ gaining 48,000+ followers on Instagram since President Biden stepped down.

The Vice President now has a personal account on TikTok, @KamalaHarris, which has over 3 million followers and over 8 million likes. The DNC is also getting in on the online momentum and doing some brat-branding on new fundraising ads as well. She’s even done a video with NSYNC star Lance Bass.

Harris’s relatability is a strength that is driving the popularity of this content, and many of the memes reflect a cautious hope from younger members of the electorate who were finding it hard to support Biden. They are also attracted by the possible history of the moment - the first black woman, Asian woman to be President of the United States.

Democrats are hopeful that the digital campaign will give her a polling bump amongst younger voters. Gen Z are front and centre of the campaign’s marketing strategy, validating their importance and their influence as an increasingly engaged bloc with money to spend and ideas to share.

But what about the Republicans?

Until now, former President Donald Trump has dominated TikTok, where pro-Trump posts nearly doubled the number of pro-Biden posts, according to a May New York Times analysis. When Trump officially created an account in June, the account gained 2.1 million followers in a day. His account currently stands at over 9 million followers.

Republicans are on the back foot and have been trying to respond with content such as this ‘you’re fired’ video and this one from @mommyrn88, as well as attacking Harris as ‘stupid’ with stitched video clips.

The journey to election day is still young, with the Democratic Convention and the presidential and vice presidential debates set to come. But for now, many Democrats are engaged in ‘hope scrolling,’ the practice of purposefully and intentionally seeking out inspiring and uplifting content. It’s certain that the candidacy of Harris has breathed a new set of energy into this campaign. Stay tuned for more of my thoughts and insights into the digital campaign of the presidential election as it happens!