"Mamdani - as numerous writers have outlined - is good on social video. He picked a message, stuck to it, and adapted that platform to snappy soundbites across multiple mediums. But Mamdani's best trait as an online communicator wasn't knowing how to use the internet. It was understanding when not to use it. In an era of terminally synthetic politics, New York picked the candidate who still seems capable of looking away from his screen."
""Extremely online" might be the two words most frequently attached to politicians in 2025. Since taking office in January, the already 4chan-steeped Trump administration has slipped further and further into the purely digital realm. It communicates in photoshops, ASMR videos, podcast clips, and meme-ready branding for concentration camps, periodically screwing up its own operations by posturing online. Generative AI has massively accelerated this process:"
Zohran Mamdani secured New York City mayoral victory significantly through an effective internet presence and polished social video. He chose a focused message, converted it into concise soundbites across platforms, and exercised restraint by avoiding unnecessary online engagement. A contrasting political force embraced an "extremely online" aesthetic, using photoshops, ASMR, podcast clips, and provocative meme-ready branding. Generative AI intensified performative digital politics, producing hyperrealized content and stunts during major events like a government shutdown. AI-generated attack videos surfaced in campaigns, illustrating how synthetic media reshapes political communication and public perception.
Read at The Verge
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