(NewsNation) — The 2024 Democratic National Convention has granted credentials to over 200 social media influencers for the first time as social media continues to be an important tool in this year’s election.
TikTok creator Aaron Parnas, who uses his account to talk about politics to his nearly 500,000 followers, joined “NewsNation Now” from the DNC, and said that social media is playing a “huge role” in the 2024 presidential election.
“The average young person, 18 or 19-year-old, may not be watching media at night on their television or reading newspapers, but I can guarantee you that they are scrolling TikTok or scrolling Instagram before bed every night and when they wake up every morning,” Parnas said. “Political social media and social media specifically is playing a key role in the political landscape right now.”
Parnas also said it’s been “very exciting” to see a younger candidate at the top of the ticket. Vice President Kamala Harris and her team have been utilizing social media to attract younger voters.
“I think it’s a tale of two different parties… I think on one hand you have the oldest presidential nominee in American history with Donald Trump and on another hand you have Kamala Harris who is really energizing younger voters and meeting them where they’re at,” Parnas said. “I think that the Democratic Party is doing a really good job leaning into the content creators, leaning into the influencers while the Republican Party is really focused on the past.”