How is Gen-Z Internet Culture Impacting the US Election?

In an era where putting ‘MAGA’ in your Instagram bio is no different to putting a candidate sign outside your house, social media has become the platform of choice for discussing the 2024 US presidential election. A wave of memes, trivialising the election campaign, have flooded our feeds. But why is social media so politicised during this election specifically, and can self-declaredly ‘unserious’ internet culture have real-world consequences?

Combine the classic American values of liberty and freedom of expression with contemporary internet ‘brain rot’, and the result is viral X (formerly Twitter) memes mocking the July 13th assassination attempt on Republican candidate Trump, and TikTokers endorsing his narrow escape as ‘so brat summer’. As 8 million Americans will have reached voting age since the 2022 midterms, their uniquely ruthless internet voice has turned to politics. Young people as a demographic are often overlooked by traditional media, but layers of memes and comments section arguments, hallmarks of Gen Z’s online language, give an unexpected platform to these voices. Yet their de-sensitized response to images of a bloody Trump post-assassination attempt, which left one on-looker dead, displays an alarming disconnect with the serious nature of the current electoral debate. When the first search bar suggestion on TikTok following ‘Kamala Harris’ is ‘… coconut tree’, it appears that the US election has essentially been reduced to a massive online inside joke, a viral if-you-know-you-know phenomenon. It’s safe to say that this emerging strand of online political humour, characterised by compulsive scrolling and re-posting, should be cause for concern.

It may seem extreme to claim that Gen Z internet culture could influence something as major as the US election, but let me remind you of the barrage of online ridicule in the lead up to Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy withdrawal. Viral videos of Biden staring blankly at the camera during televised debates reflected declining perceptions of his capability. Clearly, the internet’s propensity to jump on a bandwagon means that any of these criticisms can reaches audiences of millions instantly. With calls for Biden’s candidacy withdrawal aptly summarised by the trending hashtag ‘sleepyjoe’, it would be unwise to dismiss the role of social media in undermining Biden’s image. Evidently, the power that internet trends hold over public consciousness is not to be underestimated.

Yet perhaps the absurdity of a viral TikTok enacting tangible political consequences merely reflects the absurdity of contemporary US politics. With the right to abortion, gun control and protections for LGBTQ+ people all up for debate, Gen Z’s internet brain rot is perhaps better understood as an expression of their disillusionment. Kamala Harris, with her HQ’s use of Charli xcx’s viral ‘brat’ branding, has strategically embraced the internet culture of young voters. Harris also used her appearance on the hugely popular ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast to discuss her abortion policies, and to encourage listeners to ‘use your voice to determine … what your future will be by your government’. She seems to understand the power that the internet holds with young voters, and shows a willingness to engage in both serious or ‘unserious’ aspects of online discourse. After all, the ‘meme-ification’ of the 2024 election is far less dystopian than the threats to basic right to healthcare and freedom faced by voters.

Whether you believe social media has a place in political discourse or not, we have to wonder what it’s true impact on the November election result will be. Without belittling the political voice of Gen Z, it is fairly disturbing that the phrases ‘chronically online’ and ‘TikTok brainrot’ seemingly go hand-in-hand with such vital discussion. Harmless or not, an internet meme cannot capture the divisive nuances of American politics.

Words by Ruby Colville

Cover Image Credit: Justine Goode/ NBC News; Getty Images