NPR's "White House turns to TikTok" Article Recap

A recap of Barbara Stunt's article that can be found at : https://www.npr.org/2022/10/09/1127211983/the-white-house-is-turning-to-tiktok-stars-to-take-its-message-to-a-younger-audi

The White House aims to share news on any and all platforms to create a more equally democratic society. They have starting using social media platforms, such as TikTok, after discovering statistics about how many people who can be considered a part of the Millennials or Generation Z obtain most of their news online, specifically through social media. Offering content in the colloquial language of the younger generations makes the content more accessible. Prime news content should be accessible to all audiences in ways they understand so they can be informed, democratic citizens,

Stunt describes the biggest downfalls of a partnership like this is the possibility that the influencer's followers could turn away due to fear of the influencer becoming a "puppet" for the government. The influencer could also decide to reword the news for the purpose of keeping their followers or decide not to report the news at all. Either way, the wrong message could be spread, consumers of media could twist the content as they believe it is one-sided or propaganda for the current president, or they could not get the message out at all.

Upon further research of social media influencers and their outreach to social justice issues, I noticed the most common theme was the push for acceptance and normalization of mental health issues. The other recurring themes were that of body positivity and acceptance of all people with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ movement and bodies that are not identical to able-bodied people. I believe that movements like these have been incredibly effective because they are so personal and provide that persona that Stunt describes, similar to a character or TV personality. It also lets consumers of media feel seen and heard in an intimate way. Other issues, such as political issues, I do not think are as effective because there is such a lack of trust in media already, especially with the fear of figure heads, bias, and lies that have unfortunately turned up in the past few years after the launch of online media.

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