The following piece is an opinion and does not reflect the views of The Eagle and its staff. All opinions are edited for grammar, style and argument structure and fact-checked, but the opinions are the writer’s own.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign’s “Brat” TikTok posts and former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social rants both have one thing in common: They are bringing attention to the presidential candidates through social media.
Since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election and endorsed Harris as his successor, Harris’ team has completely rebranded. The campaign has used TikTok to reach young voters, from posting edits of Harris to Megan Thee Stallion to turning her X banner into a parody of Charli xcx’s album, “Brat,” taking important steps in encouraging voter engagement.
Although there has been lots of optimism from Democrats following Harris’ insertion into the race, I fear that not enough people know or understand who Harris is, specifically voters who are not engrossed in social media. Although she’s been running ads and speaking at events, Harris just engaged in her first sit-down interview on Aug. 29. And the interview aired on CNN, which is an immediate turn-off for many voters, including moderates, since it has a reputation for liberal ideology.
Additionally, Harris only posted her prospective policies on her website the week leading up to the presidential debate. The only previous hint at policy was the following quote on the “Meet Kamala Harris” tab, “On January 20, 2025, if we all do our part, [Harris] will once again make history — and she will make sure the doors of opportunity are wide open for all to follow.”
Unfortunately, that statement isn’t enough to convince potential voters to cast their ballot for Harris. Although her stances have now been added to her website, Trump has had an itemized list of 20 “core promises” he’s making to voters for months. When comparing the two websites, Trump laid out a plan for people to agree or disagree with, whereas Harris just laid out her background. Her background could be good enough for some people to vote for her, but reaching politically inactive voters requires more than holding enthusiastic rallies for already committed voters and harping on her background.
A strong focus on social media isn’t the way for the Harris campaign to reach voters, especially undecided ones in swing states that she needs to win the election. Her social media is great for Gen Z, a group that is generally more liberal, and CNN is great for people who already trust and tune into CNN. However, neither of these tactics helps Harris gain the vote of, for example, Gen X or conservatives who dislike Trump. I highly doubt that conservatives, whether they like Trump or not, are dying to turn on CNN.
Harris isn’t doing a bad job. She is polling higher than Trump by an average of 2.7 points as of Sept. 21, a bounce-back from when Biden was still in the race. So, she’s doing something right. I believe this is a winnable race for her, but she has yet to prove herself to the American people. The CNN debate in June was the cause of Biden’s demise, but the most recent debate likely wasn’t for Harris. She has proved herself time and time again as a strong debater and thrives in situations where she is put on the spot. On Sept. 21, Harris agreed to another debate against Trump on CNN, further showing her comfortability and confidence in this space. Sure, she has some silly quips about coconut trees, but Harris can put it on when it’s game time. Social media doesn’t have to be, and frankly, shouldn’t be, the defining factor of this election for Gen Z.
I urge everyone to do their research about political candidates and vote for the person they find to be most fit to run the country. Research does not consist of watching TikToks, liking Instagram infographics or reading Trump’s Truth Social rants. Find reliable news sources, like the Associated Press or Reuters, that can give you nonpartisan information on the election. One of my favorite sites is called “All Sides Now,” where they compare news headlines from left, center and right-leaning publications so you can make the call on what you choose to read.
Regardless of the news sources you choose and however you vote in November, I hope you stay off of TikTok, Instagram, X and Truth Social and make a well-informed decision that you are comfortable affecting the future of our country.
Alana Parker is a junior in the School of Public Affairs and School of Communication and the assistant opinion editor for The Eagle.
This article was edited by Rebeca Samano Arellano and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Charlie Mennuti.
