Olivia Julianna speaks during a campaign event for Houston mayoral candidate U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty
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Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty
Olivia Julianna speaks during a campaign event for Houston mayoral candidate U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty
This week at the Democratic National Convention, some of the biggest names in the party have delivered speeches in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for office. Among them: Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
But one speaker, perhaps less expected, was a 24-year-old woman named Deja Foxx.
She is one of more than 200 digital content creators who has been given media access at the DNC. This year is the first time that Democrats have credentialed online influencers. For reference, the Republican National Convention credentialed more than 70 online personalities this year.
Foxx argued the DNC’s move demonstrates an effort to connect with Gen Z:
“It signals to young people, a presidency that will listen to them, that will respond to them, and that has young people in the room,” she said.
The Democratic Party describes this access as “leveling the playing field” between content creators and traditional media.
And as research shows more and more people are learning about politics through social media, Democrats are embracing the change.
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One content creator’s journey to the DNC.
Each night at the DNC, at least one content creator is scheduled to speak. This week, All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro spoke with Olivia Julianna ahead of her speech.
If there’s a hierarchy of political content creators, Julianna is right up near the top. Her videos have covered topics ranging from electoral politics to abortion access, and she has more than a million followers across all her social media accounts.
Still, she never imagined that she would be speaking at the DNC.
“I might even cry just even talking about this,” she said about her upcoming speech.
“I grew up very working-class. I grew up living in trailer houses and farmhouses. And, you know, even once I started doing content, I didn’t have enough money to go straight into a four-year university. I went to community college.”
Shapiro and Julianna talked in a lounge the DNC set aside for content creators. During their conversation, a staffer popped in to introduce Julianna to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Describing the outfit she wore, Julianna told Shapiro the moment felt like fate.
“There is an old picture of Nancy Pelosi speaking at a political event in this hot-pink suit. And I have matched my suits each major night to a woman in political history’s suit.”
How influencers are shaping media.
Unlike traditional media outlets, content creators are often less concerned about journalistic balance.
“I’m not going to pretend like I’m unbiased ’cause I’m not, you know?” she said.
“I’m a creator, but I’m also an activist. My number one goal is to persuade people to get involved in politics, to help them understand how the government works.”
As more people learn about politics through social media, the lines between influencers and traditional journalists have blurred, Wired’s Makena Kelly told Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.
She offered that while content creators often comment on news, journalists are part of the process of “digging up new information.”
But Kelly said the DNC recognizes the ability of influencers – like Julianna and others who have millions of dedicated viewers – to connect with young people, something traditional media outlets might struggle to do.
“I like to be optimistic about these things. And when I look at what these news creators are doing, I think us as journalists can probably take a lot of lessons from them, especially when it comes to community building.”
This episode was produced by Mia Venkat, Kira Wakeam and Marc Rivers, with additional reporting from Elena Moore. It was edited by Ashley Brown and Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
