Here are a few rewritten options: 1. “The Influencer Effect: Are You Betting on the Right Political Color?” 2. “Gamble or Game-Changer? The Rise of Influencers in Politics” 3. “Influenced to Vote: The High-Stakes Gamble of Celebrity Endorsements” 4. “The

US Democratic and Republican Parties Invite Influencers to National Conventions
To secure the support of young voters who get information through SNS
Influencers Seeking Political Influence
However, there is also a risk of unfollowing due to negative views.

Ahead of the US presidential election in November, social networking service (SNS) content creators who attract voters’ attention, so-called ‘influencers’, are busy. Influencers are directly expressing their political views and exercising their influence. As young voters get a lot of information through SNS, the US political world is working hard to win over young voters by collaborating with influencers.

An influencer is broadcasting live at the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, USA on the 19th (local time). [이미지출처=AP연합뉴스]

According to CBS News and Business Insider, more than 200 influencers were active on-site at the Democratic National Convention held from the 19th to the 22nd (local time). It was the first time that influencers were allowed direct access to speakers. Five of them were even asked to come up on stage as speakers along with President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Karen Allen, who has over a million followers on TikTok and Instagram, live streamed from the convention and posted a photo with Michelle Obama on stage. In just five days, the live stream post was liked over 24,000 times on Instagram, and the photo with Obama was liked over 26,000 times. Other influencers posted their own versions of the convention, summarizing the event or reporting on the scene.

Not only the Democratic Party, but also the Republican Party has collaborated with influencers. Around 70 influencers participated in the Republican National Convention held in July. According to a report by the Washington Post (WP) citing a TikTok official, from January of last year to the end of April of this year, there were about twice as many posts supporting former President Trump on TikTok as posts supporting President Biden. It seems that the Republican Party actively invited influencers to the convention to take advantage of this social media atmosphere.

As the number of young American voters using social media grows, the political influence of influencers is growing. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in March, half of young people aged 18 to 29 used social media such as TikTok and Instagram to check political news. The majority of respondents said they checked more political issues on social media than on news websites. Another poll found that 70% of young people said they got information related to that year’s election from social media.

An influencer is filming at the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, USA on the 19th (local time). [이미지출처=로이터연합뉴스]

As the situation becomes like this, the number of influencers trying to exert influence directly is also increasing. According to a survey conducted by influencer marketing company EZIA, more than 8 out of 10 influencer respondents said they plan to express their political views during this election period. A similar proportion also said they plan to participate in political events and support the presidential campaign.

YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, who was present at the Democratic National Convention, said in an interview with Le Monde that “the convention, which had been conducted in an old-fashioned and stiff manner, broke the mold of the event (through influencers) and attracted the attention of a wide range of people,” and that through him, they were able to reach 6 to 7 million people who were not interested in politics.

However, there are some mixed views on influencers expressing their political views. In an EZIA survey, 35% of the 2,000 SNS users were neutral about influencers sharing their political views, while 22% responded negatively. In another question, 56% of the respondents said they had unfollowed someone because of their political views.

Business Insider reported that “influencers are weighing the risks of offending their followers against their own political influence,” and that “getting involved in politics can be risky for them.” As a result, 62% of influencer respondents to the EZIA survey said they are also making plans to deal with the backlash that may arise from revealing their political stance.

Reporter Jeong Hyeon-jin jhj48@asiae.co.kr