US President Joe Biden is hiring a ‘meme manager’, representing a new political strategy – but will it convince voters?
Ahead of the US presidential elections, Mr Biden’s re-election campaign is seeking a "Content and Meme Pages Partner Manager".
The role includes monitoring the internet's most popular content and memes so the US President can engage with younger voters.
This comes as President Biden has engaged in more humorous content online, including posting a photo of himself with lasers eye poking fun at conspiracy theories that the US government rigged the 2024 Superbowl.
Just like we drew it up. pic.twitter.com/9NBvc5nVZE
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 12, 2024
Communications Clinic CEO Eoghan Thomas McDermot said the job advertisement itself could be an example of Mr Biden attempting to find ground in online humour.
“They would have found somebody to be able to do it without publishing an ad,” he told The Pat Kenny Show.
“What the ad has now become is content in of itself, so Ireland’s leading broadcaster is covering it on a Monday morning.
“That's a trend that we're now seeing in a lot of politics, the behind-the-scenes action.”
Memes - which are trends around a specific image - person or phrase, have ingrained themselves into politics around the world, according to Mr McDermot.
https://t.co/4ZAxbEHLRr pic.twitter.com/rXDjNWFnb4
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 16, 2024
“Even in the last week, we would have been gone to see memes of Rishi Sunak having made his speech in the rain,” he said.
“It's actually relatively sensible from the Biden campaign to have somebody on the team that is setting out to create that content.
“What the politicians or political movements are trying to do is for [memes] to contain a message within it for their campaign.
“Successful politicians or successful movements have always used the most up-to-date technology further... Martin Luther used the printing press.”
@bidenhqMay the Fourth be with you♬ original sound - Biden-Harris HQ
There is still a focus on explaining policy plans and campaign promises, but a ‘meme manager’ would focus on condensing that information into digestible online content.
“There is a market for policy, but then there is a market for the more shallow, less detailed pieces,” Mr McDermott said.
Reporters and political journalists themselves have also developed a focus on uploading news and content as quickly as possible.
Mr McDermot said this fast-paced content sharing will likely only strengthen as Joe Biden and Donald Trump head closer towards the 2024 Presidential elections.
