Coconuts, brat and the viral campaign behind Kamala Harris

In the days since Kamala Harris announced that she will run for President of the United States, young people across the United States have had a lot of explaining to do. 

 Growing popularity of coconut trees. A famous British star who unexpectedly became an American political force. Back to chartreuse green. 

 social media was abuzz last Sunday after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed President Harris instead. And in the hours that followed, Harris's campaign was based on joy. 

 The Biden-Harris campaign changed Twitter to KamalaHQ and used British singer Charli XCX as the new prominent banner (like green). 

 X's media biography reads: "a given speech", a reference to Ms Harris' fiery speech in May 2023. 

 Although the president's sudden departure and Ms. Harris cast doubt on the polls, and social media users, especially young people, have largely missed him. But it is unclear whether this new enthusiasm will help turn out young voters, a key group for Democrats in November, and whether the political impetus will continue. 

 Meanwhile, the online crime is effective, and the campaign raises more than $ 100 million in the two days since Mr. Biden decided to leave and hold the fund that attracted more than 44,000 black women and about 58,000 new volunteers.

Coconuts, brat and the online moments

Republicans have long used video footage of Ms. Harris for expletives or inflammatory interviews. But in recent weeks, his supporters have used an image to show him what he likes, echoing the truth. 

 A video showed Ms. Harris at a White House event sharing her mother's story. 

 "He tells us, 'I don't know about you, do you think you fell from the coconut tree?' Harris said with a laugh. "You are in a situation where you live with what is in front of you." 

 But the video - criticized by critics - was welcomed by Harris' fans, who used coconut and palm emojis to show their loyalty on social media. 

 "When the opponent says something, you just take it as your own, and then you take the power away from them," said Katherine Haenschen, a professor at Northeastern University who studies the effects of digital communication. . . 

 "Memes are important. Memes are a powerful way of conveying messages to people," he said. 

 Charli XCX's outspoken support for Ms. Harris also sparked outrage online. Hours after Mr Biden threw his support behind Ms Harris, the song read: "Don't give up baby",in a tweet on X a reference to the singer's popular new album.

Ms Haenschen said the term refers to conflicted women "being able to choose their own path and make their own plans". However, the tweet had been viewed 50 million times by Tuesday afternoon. David Hogg, the 24-year-old Democratic politician who founded the March for Our Lives after the 2018 massacre at his high school in Parkland, Florida, shared the announcement. "It's just the number of tweets that doesn't matter, that's why they voted for the youth", David hogg

Grassroots enthusiasm

According to some experts, Harris' social media strategy is no different from that of the first president Barack Obama in 2008. Popular cultural dialogue," Philip de Vellis, a political media consultant who worked and the Obama campaign said. But Mr. But that doesn't translate into votes, Vellis warned, though there have been some signs of political will, and swept through. With voters and media workers, the pressure on Ms. Harris seems to have taken root, Ms. Haenschen said. TikTok doesn't and Facebook has become popular outside of college campuses, he said. Americans want to join the Zeitgeist campaign, and Harris will allow them to do so online now, he said. The campaign needs to give Harris time to run or he could run out of steam, Dr. Haenschen said.

Will this make a difference in November?

Rachel Grant, a professor of cultural studies, media and social movements at the University of Florida, said Ms Harris's diagnosis allows her to embrace many of her identities these days. young people can see videos in which she talks about interesting things, like her experience at Howard University or abortion rights. 

 Well, the million people raised by Harris in a few days have been to the voters in a difficult election that has been going on for four months now. Still, the Democrats must strike a balance between relying on the virus and the issues that are important to ensure voters vote. 

 "Your campaign should be about coconuts and the environment, not weight and everything," said Ms. Henry, a digital politician. "The focus should be on what you can do for the American people."