Am I Going Crazy?

October 31, 2024

How The Internet is Changing Politics

I officially have election fatigue and can’t wait for it to be over. When I was growing up, the promotional strategy for politicians was to go on talk shows and news broadcasts or throwing out the first pitch at baseball games. Now, it’s rare to go a week without a presidential candidate appearing on a popular podcast. In this week’s Night Light, I want to look back at some of the ways politicians have leveraged the internet to appeal to younger voters.

Podcasts Are More Popular Than Ever

To win the election in November, you need to secure young voters. 55% of those aged 18-34 don’t identify with either the Democratic or Republican parties. Since podcasts reach about half of all people 18-34, it’s an extremely efficient use of time to hop on podcasts to reach this audience. We shouldn’t be surprised that we’ve seen so many podcast appearances in the last few weeks.

I think there are two podcasts that stand out recently. The first is a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, where Joe and Trump talked for almost 3 hours, uninterrupted, with nobody else in the room. The number one podcast delivered, with more than 40 million views on YouTube, and I would guess that Apple and Spotify added at least another 30 million listens. 80% of his demo are male, and almost a third of them are independent voters. Great use of time connecting with an audience that isn’t spending time watching traditional news.

The second is when Kamala Harris went on Alex Cooper’s podcast, Call Her Daddy (#5 most popular podcast). 90% of listeners of this podcast are under 45, with about a quarter of them being independent voters. Again, a very good use of time to reach an audience that isn’t watching traditional news.

Live Streaming has Never Been More Important

Live streams are starting to feel like new-age talk shows. Instead of going on traditional shows like The Late Show, politicians are turning to popular live streamers to reach younger audiences. I did not have Tim Walz playing the Sega Dreamcast on my bingo card for 2024. When AOC streamed Among Us to 400,000 people a few years ago, it was a big moment for politics on the internet. I do think it would have been better use of time if Walz tried something that resonated a little more with younger voters (the Dreamcast is more than 25 years old).

Donald Trump also went on Adin Ross’s stream on Kick with 500,000 viewers. The stream worked well because Adin frequently has guests; his fanbase is likely to support Trump, and their dialogue worked well for the Just Chatting format. It’s almost less about what Trump had to say, and more about the relationship between him and Adin. I think we will see more of this in the future.

What Does The Future Look Like?

I think the future of politics looks a lot more like this and a lot less like traditional media and news shows. If I fast-forward to 2028, I think the Democratic and Republican candidates will likely appear on every podcast. It’s going to be expected. Now, Kamala and Trump can pick and choose which shows to go on, but in the future, I think both candidates will appear on every show. YouTube VODs and major channels will also become important areas of growth and broad awareness.

The Big Takeaway

Reaching young voters has been a key part of this election—you have to meet them where they are. Podcasting and streaming makes a ton of sense when we consider where 18-34 year olds are spending their time. Not every stream or podcast is going to be a huge hit, but I would expect that in the upcoming years, we see a lot more of this.

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