White House may soon have a 'briefing room' for Social media influencers
The use of influencers' networks could also be a component of US President Joe Biden's plan to appeal to younger voters before the 2024 election.
- World News
- 2 min read
The Biden administration has proposed setting up a briefing room dedicated to social media influencers, as influencer reporting may become a common appearance at the White House, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The action is part of an effort to unite influencers and connect with a younger audience that might not be tuned into conventional news or follow the White House on social media, Axios reported.
"We're trying to reach young people," says a White House official
According to Google internal data, nearly 40% of Gen Z in the United States prefer TikTok and Instagram to Google Search. The use of influencers' networks could also be a component of Biden's plan to appeal to younger voters before the 2024 election. Although Biden has not officially declared his candidacy for reelection, he is still the front-runner among Democrats.
“We’re trying to reach young people, but also moms who use different platforms to get information and climate activists and people whose main way of getting information is digital,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, White House deputy chief of staff, told Axios.
The Biden administration has four employees who are not associated with the Biden campaign but who will interact with influencers and independent content producers, Axios reported. For its message initiatives, such as its attempt to convince young people to obtain vaccines, the administration has in the past turned to TikTokers, YouTubers, and Twitch broadcasters.
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US passes the RESTRICT Act
The Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act, which would give the government the authority to forbid apps or other technological services run by foreign governments, received support from the White House last month.
Beijing is home to ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Although the legislation does not specifically mention any one app, it was created in response to worries that TikTok would share data with China's authorities.
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Last year, the White House invited over 20 influencers and content creators as Joe Biden hosted an event on the South Lawn to mark the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), termed as Democrat's "signature passage."