Skip to main content

Harris vs. Trump: Weekly TikTok Tactics

 

@realdonaldtrump vs. @KamalaHQ on TikTok: Comparing analytics and social media strategy over a one-week period

Sunday, August 18 - Sunday, August 25

Total number of videos posted:

@KamalaHQ: 45

@realdonaldtrump: 1

Total (combined) views on new videos:

@KamalaHQ: 53.6 M

@realdonaldtrump: 5.4 M



In this week's news, the Democratic National Convention ran from August 19 through the 22, receiving mass media coverage due to notable speeches and celebrity guest appearances. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz officially received the Democratic nomination for president and vice president. Because of this publicity, I expected Harris's TikTok to have published more content in the last week when compared to Donald Trump, and I was correct. 

Trump's TikTok account only posted one video in the last week. The clip is just 9 seconds long and features the candidate standing in front of a police car, saying America is in decline and, "Nobody is safe, absolutely nobody," promising that, "we're gonna be a safe nation again." He then brandishes a pair of handcuffs and says, "This is safe." The Law and Order theme song can be heard playing in the background. While certainly a popular show, the video makes no references to popular trends or current events. Trump's TikTok received 515,000 likes and 41,000 comments. 

In the last week alone, Kamala Harris's official TikTok account published 45 videos, as of Sunday afternoon. In total, those 45 videos garnered approximately 53,596,200 views, according to my calculations. The most popular video amassed 8.1 million views, 1.6 million likes and 13,400 comments. The video is 2 minutes and 43 seconds long and features an ad shown at the DNC. A Beyonce song plays in the background of the ad while uplifting images of Americans flash across the screen. The video has a hopeful tone, and the TikTok ends with the sounds of applause from the audience. Many of Harris's TikToks posted in the last week fall into two categories: clips of speeches made at the DNC or popular trends. This video is neither; although it relates closer to the videos taken at the convention. However, it still incorporates pop culture by utilizing Beyonce's voice, seeing as she is an extremely popular musician among many generations, not just Generation Z. 

Although this week was certainly an outlier due to the publicity of the DNC, Kamala Harris's social media campaign strategy relies heavier on TikTok than Donald Trump's. Her team consistently posts clips from her campaign, speeches she has made, and topical jokes using trending formats, all of which appeal to the young voter demographic. Harris is gunning for the Gen Z vote in this election, and judging by the support she is receiving from them so far on social media, I think she might get it. 

Comments

  1. Vanna JacksonSeptember 18, 2024 at 5:53 PM

    Social media seems to be very important this election. Especially with the new generations being able to vote for the first time. Vice President Harris and her team surely understand how to reach the younger voters. They are keeping up with releasing content to keep engagement with viewers. They are trying new avenues to attract first time voters. This is important because their votes will decide the outcome of the election. Videos and post help new comers learn about the candidate and what they are representing. Plus posting about an event will draw attendees to bring other supporters or the same first voters to see how they feel and view things from their perspective.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trump's battle against "Washington elites" is neverending

Corina  Lacatus’ study Populism and the 2016 American Election: Evidence from Official Press Releases and Twitter defines populism as “a type of political rhetoric predicated on the moral vilification of elites, who are perceived as self-serving and undemocratic.” Lacatus identifies Trump as the populist candidate of 2016, with him labeling Democrats as the elites, saying they aren’t helping the white middle class of America. From what I can gather, Trump would actually be considered one of the true “elites,” seeing as he’s a “self-serving and undemocratic” billionaire. Lacatis said no matter the ideological leaning of the candidate, populists promise to upset the status quo with one that centralizes the people, not the elites. Trump’s wide appeal to the white middle class definitely took a populist approach in 2016 and may have secured him the election.  In my opinion, the two most interesting findings in Lacatus’ study are the differences in the three candidates’ uses of o...
Post a Comment
Read more

How exposure to mass media influences audiences in politically-significant ways

Mass media plays a key role in shaping political attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors, acting as the main way individuals receive information about politics. While media exposure can have positive effects, like increasing political engagement and knowledge, it can also lead to negative outcomes, like reinforcing misinformation and polarization. This impact can be seen most commonly from traditional news outlets, but the same effects can be seen on social platforms like TikTok as well. One of the primary benefits of mass media is its potential to enhance political knowledge and empathy. According to Dunaway and Graber, political scientist Daniel Lerner discussed a personality trait called “empathic capacity.” This theory posited that when media present new concepts, audiences empathize with what is happening in the story and try to imitate it. An example they gave was when audience members view a news piece about slum dwellers and the accommodations they live in, viewers will apply that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How are candidates capitalizing on the prevailing narratives of this year's election?

In the 2024 General Election, a prevailing narrative that has taken hold is the fight for women’s reproductive rights and immigration. Kamala Harris’ campaign has highlighted her intentions to reinstate Roe v. Wade and statewide access to abortions and reproductive healthcare, while Donald Trump’s campaign is sticking with the recently-adopted “leave it up to the states” motto. While Harris’ platform focuses on women’s issues, Trump’s campaign is still focusing on illegal immigration and the “border crisis.” Many of Trump’s ads attack migrants and Harris’ policies as vice president, calling her the “border czar” and using foreboding music to make viewers associate immigration with feelings of unease and distrust. That can be seen in this advertisement , as well as many of the other ads from his team. Meanwhile, the Harris/Walz campaign has taken the platform that women have the right to choose and Roe v. Wade protections must be reinstated. Her ads take a gentle, empathetic approach to...
2 comments
Read more