In a way, my statement is misleading, because many influencers are already journalists. A November 2024 Pew Research Center study found 21% of U.S. adults rely on news influencers for information, with many saying online creators 'helped them better understand current events and civic issues.' This is consistent with existing research that found that earlier in 2024, over half of U.S. adults (54%) said they at least sometimes got news from social media.
Before the dust had even settled over the results of the U.S. presidential election, finger pointing began. Influencers had been a hot topic of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, but their impact had been gravely misjudged. Instead of trying to understand why the Democratic National Committee had invited over 200 TikTokkers and YouTubers to its convention, including those who never talked politics on their accounts, there was scoffing and backlash.
But then, with scores shocked at the re-election of Donald Trump, many finally realized they had been overlooking influencers' power. An influencer can't make anyone think anything. But those who study internet culture, fandom, parasocial relationships, sociology, and more can tell you why influencers were such successful communication disseminators during the 2024 U.S. Election.
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