DNC to credential social media influencers

Influencers will have a chance to be a bit more influential when the Democratic National Convention (DNC) comes to Chicago this August. Convention organizers have agreed to credential social media personalities the same as traditional media in an effort to hit newer — and younger — audiences ahead of the November election.

Influencers who qualify will get the same level of access and information as traditional media outlets. The DNC’s creators registration page notes that “Americans continue to consume information and content in new and changing ways.” The credentials for those who are selected will give those content creators access to secluded areas during the four-day convention. The DNC says it will also help credentialed creators with any logistical assistance to help their coverage.

The DNC, White House and Biden campaign didn’t respond to The Hill’s inquiries for more information on their goals. Former President Trump’s team also declined to respond.

The Biden administration has notably embraced online influencers — content creators with sometimes massive followings on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube — and hosted regular meetings and updates at the White House.

Axios reported last year that Biden’s team planned to “lean on hundreds of social media ‘influencers’ who would tout Biden’s record — and soon may have their own briefing room at the White House.”

Biden’s campaign joined TikTok earlier this year and has vowed to remain on the platform despite pushback.

“When the stakes are this high in the election, we are going to use every tool we have to reach young voters where they are,” a Biden campaign official at the time told The Hill.

TikTok reaches more than 100 million regular users in the United States daily.

But Biden’s concerns about the viral video sharing app, which has ties to China’s Communist government through its parent company, ByteDance, have soured some younger people to his efforts. TikTok is fighting a federal ban in court, arguing that it violates the First Amendment. Lawmakers, including Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican who is seen as a potential GOP rising star, have been key to the fight to pass a ban if the Chinese company doesn’t sell off its investments into the app.

“TikTok has become a haven for antisemitic content, a haven for propaganda, for genocide,” Hawley said on the Senate floor last year. “As virulent and offensive as this content is, that is not a reason to ban them. The real reason to ban TikTok is that it is a spy app for the Chinese Communist Government.”

Trump’s campaign joined TikTok in June.