American elections - ‘Kamalamania’ on social networks: an analysis by researcher Vincent Dutot

Vincent Dutot is a researcher at EM Normandie and Professor of Information Systems Management and Digital Marketing. He gives his analysis of the ‘kamalamania’ that is sweeping across social networks in the context of the US presidential elections.

There is a real wave of youth and hope for the Democrats, largely driven by social networks. In just six days, more than $120 million has been raised for the Kamala Harris campaign.

The Vice-President of the United States has learned lessons from 2019, a year in which she was heavily attacked. The Democratic family, already very united in 2019, continues to give her considerable support. She has demonstrated her mastery of public relations.

Kamala Harris has in-depth knowledge of social networks and how to use them. They play an amplifying role. It's easy to launch smear campaigns on them, as the Republicans are doing. Today we are seeing the opposite phenomenon.

Memes have become its strike force. The smear campaigns (green memes, memes mocking Kamala Harris's laughter, coconut tree memes, etc.) are now being reappropriated by the campaign teams - but also by the younger Democratic electorate, galvanised by Joe Biden's withdrawal - creating a positive momentum around the Vice-President. This is illustrated, for example, by the ‘brat summer’ allusion to the singer Charli XCX. On Thursday, Mrs Harris launched her own TikTok account (@kamalaharris). In 6 hours, the 8-second video has been viewed 5.8 million times.

On the other hand, the Republicans have lost momentum and are paying the price for their facile strategy of denigrating Joe Biden. With this new, resolutely younger and more dynamic candidate, they will have to rethink their strategy, their use of social networks and their messages. And for the first time in a long time, it is they who must fight to regain the upper hand.

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