This is not a joke: according to a job posting, President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is looking for someone to manage memes. The hiring of the “Manager of Partnerships, Content Pages, and Memes” will be responsible for initiating and managing daily operations to capture the attention of major content and meme pages on the Internet. The position offers a salary of up to $85,000.
Although it might seem ridiculous to be a professional meme manager, in today’s world, digital organization is as crucial as campaigning in person at public places. If a candidate wants to reach voters, they need to be online, where going viral can mean connecting with millions of people. That’s why Biden’s campaign has a TikTok account, despite the president signing a bill that could potentially ban the app.
“I think we can and should incorporate relevant, modern, and fun moments into our communication, especially on digital platforms,” said Annie Wu Henry, a digital communications creator and strategist, to TechCrunch in February. “But while we do that, we must be strategic, intentional, and mindful, even if it’s a meme.”
Even before this hiring, Biden’s campaign was already using memes to engage voters. The Dark Brandon meme, which originated from far-right conspiracy theories about the president, has been so common on Biden’s campaign accounts that it seems worn out. However, people still love it: last August, Dark Brandon merchandise accounted for 54% of the campaign store’s total revenue, according to Axios.
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Former President Donald Trump has also embraced memes while campaigning for his return to the White House. When, as expected, Trump’s mugshot went viral, his campaign immediately started selling t-shirts, mugs, and beer glasses with the image, accompanied by the text “Never Surrender.”
Biden is far from the first candidate to realize that what happens online can influence an election. Since the advent of social media, it has been a valuable tool for political organizers, but the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital tactics by campaigns. When Ed Markey (D-MA) ran for Senate reelection in 2020, Gen Z posters across the country created the “Markeyverse,” an online movement to ensure a climate-conscious senator kept his seat. Meanwhile, the anonymous online personality Organizer Memes has been conducting meme trainings for political organizations like the South Carolina Young Democrats. In these sessions, participants collaboratively create memes, discuss what makes a meme effective, and learn how to use existing meme templates to react in real-time to the latest political news.
Given the potential ban on TikTok by the Biden administration, young people might see through the campaign’s attempt to court them with memes. But at least, adopting social media proves that a campaign is trying to connect with a younger demographic.
By: Nestor Castillo, ForALlTechNews Director