Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the democratic socialist from The Bronx, New York, is one of the most closely watched Congressional Freshmen and is bringing a change to interaction with her base via social media. With her relaxed demeanor and inspirational messages, many consider her Instagram live cooking sessions as the fireside chats for a new generation.
AOC has been live streaming to her now millions of Instagram followers since the beginning of her campaign. At her very beginning of political involvement, she had chats with Stephanie Kelton via Facebook Live. She uses the time to try different recipes, plays music, and most importantly discuss policy. Her live streams have been a key point in her campaigning and personal image and have made her a favorite among the younger generations of America. From her calm demeanor, to her clear way of describing policy, to the laid-back style of interaction with her followers, she easily brings in support and viewers.
Younger generations, such as millennials and Generation Z, support Ocasio-Cortez. They believe in her progressive policies, they like her new approach to politics, they feel heard by her and they relate to her. They support her socialist stances and believe in her bold policies. 44% of millennials believe in socialism, and a great deal of that support can be attributed to the struggles that many younger Americans have faced attempting to enter the workforce post-2007 financial crisis.
2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren is attempting to drum up support, and she’s targeting what has been a difficult demographic for her to pull: America’s youth. Warren went on live stream recently, where she drank a beer, cooked and discussed presidential visions. Her awkward live stream drew the attention of people online, where many found her presence to be forced and a copy of Ocasio-Cortez.
As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez kicks off her lessons for fellow Democrats on how to properly use social media, her popularity only continues to grow within younger political communities, who see her as an approachable and bold new voice in politics.
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