We live in a time where cable news is slowly fading away, like how the 8-track tape or the VHS player did years ago. Today, the way Americans get their political news is changing dramatically, and this shift is shaking up the whole political scene.
CNN, Fox, and MSNBC, which used to dominate political coverage, are now seeing their audiences shrink. The people who still watch them are getting older. At the same time, a new era of political communication is emerging: the influencer age.
If you’re skeptical, just take a look at the recent Republican and Democratic conventions. These big events used to be covered exclusively by traditional media, but not anymore. According to a recent article from RealClearPolitics, around 200 influencers were invited to the Democratic National Convention, giving them access to exclusive parties, events, and even meetings with delegates—something unheard of just a few years ago.
How people get their political news now largely depends on their age. Baby Boomers and Gen X still tend to watch cable news, while Millennials and Gen Z get their news through social media, podcasts, and online platforms. This makes sense when you think about it: younger people are glued to their phones, endlessly scrolling through apps, while older generations still prefer sitting in front of the TV after dinner to catch the news.
This is why political campaigns have traditionally spent so much money on TV ads. That’s where they could reach the older, more reliable voters. But this strategy is becoming outdated, and here’s why:
In 2024, Millennials (ages 28-43) and Gen Z (voters under 27) will make up the majority of the electorate for the first time in history. These younger generations aren’t watching cable TV, and they’re not seeing the expensive political ads that dominate the airwaves. What worked in 2004 isn’t going to cut it in 2024—and this shift is a game-changer.
For years, the Republican Party has struggled to connect with younger voters, which has led to disappointing election results in 2020 and 2022. But instead of trying to adapt and reach younger audiences, Donald Trump and the GOP are sticking to their old playbook. According to data from the Wesleyan Media Project, TV ads supporting Trump ran nearly 44,000 times across the country compared to just 33,000 for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.
Trump is spending a fortune on TV ads that mostly reach his older, already-loyal base, but this strategy misses a crucial point: younger voters are the key to winning future elections.
Today, political independents are the fastest-growing group in America, and they skew younger. Many of them live in the suburbs and are mostly Millennials, who grew up with the internet and have very different media habits. They’re not watching cable TV—they’re online.
Kamala Harris and the Democrats seem to understand this new reality. Her campaign is spending millions of dollars on digital ads to reach these younger, independent voters—about $72 million compared to Trump’s $16 million. Harris is also leaning heavily on influencers, like Merrick Hanna, a TikTok star with over 32 million followers. Compare that to Fox News, which had only 2.27 million viewers in prime time for the entire month of August. The reality is that the people watching Fox News already know who they’re voting for, while Harris is targeting those who are undecided or haven’t made up their minds yet.
The truth is, cable TV ads have lost much of their effectiveness. If you want to know why Kamala Harris is leading in the polls, it’s because she’s reaching out to new voters and people outside her usual base, while Trump continues to focus on the same crowd.
Older generations might roll their eyes at influencers and dismiss them as attention-seeking, but there’s no denying that they’re incredibly effective at reaching young people—and they do it at a fraction of the cost of traditional ads.
In politics, it’s often said that culture comes first, and politics follows. Culture changes fast, and political campaigns have to keep up. Think back to the famous 1960 debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. People who listened on the radio thought Nixon won, but those who watched on TV overwhelmingly believed Kennedy came out on top. Why? Because Kennedy understood how to use television to his advantage.
Today, the same is true for social media. The candidate who understands how to use it effectively will have a major advantage.
The old ways of doing things simply don’t work anymore, and both political parties need to recognize this if they want to stay relevant. Like it or not, the influencer age has arrived—and it’s here to stay.
