POV: You바카라re on TikTok, and so is your governor 바카라 even as your Legislature considers banning the app from state-owned devices and networks.
Efforts to ban TikTok over security concerns about China바카라s influence through the platform have picked up steam in the past year in state legislatures, with an expansive ban even proposed by Congress. In Pennsylvania, forward movement on a bill that first unanimously passed the state Senate last year could send legislation to the Democratic governor바카라s desk imminently.
But even as the app faces scrutiny and bans, governors and state agencies 바카라 and even President Joe Biden 바카라 are still using the app to promote their initiatives and expand their voting pool. Their target is the youth vote, or the people who largely make up the app바카라s U.S. user base of 170 million.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, is a prolific poster, with his efforts beginning on the campaign trail through a personal account. The first-termer is a rising star in the Democratic Party and is among governors building national profiles and possibly positioning themselves for a 2028 run for the White House.
His careful messaging extends to his official governor account on TikTok. All coloured with his priorities and stances, videos have him participating in viral trends, breaking down aspects of his budget proposal, and even taking a dig at Texas via a Beyoncé song.
Other governors use TikTok accounts 바카라 among verified accounts, only Democrats 바카라 even in states that have banned the app from state devices and networks.
It isn바카라t surprising that politicians do use TikTok so much, said Anupam Chander, visiting scholar at the Institute for Rebooting Social Media at Harvard University. It바카라s more surprising that they don바카라t.
Such outreach draws its lineage to President Franklin Roosevelt바카라s fireside chats when Depression-era Americans would gather around the radio to hear his voice. More recently, social media has been galvanized in elections, like former President Barack Obama on Facebook in 2008, or former President Donald Trump on Twitter, now X, in 2016.
바카라This is an app that can be very personal. You can share your walk to the Senate chambers or your exhilaration as a vote is passed. Or your disappointment when a vote fails,바카라 he said. 바카라This is a way to reach people in a very personal way.바카라
Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made early and, well, liberal use of TikTok during his campaign, with one young Republican saying his social media presence 바카라made him popular.바카라
바카라A lot of younger voters seem receptive to candidates such as Ramaswamy, due to his young age and new-generation agenda,바카라 Victoria Carlson, a spokesperson for the George Washington University College Republicans, told CBS News in September.
In Michigan, the app was banned in March 2023 from government devices 바카라 with certain exceptions, like Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer바카라s promotional account, which has brought cute dog videos, her March Madness bracket and news about her initiatives to her roughly 245,000 followers.
In New Jersey, a government-affiliated app posts jokes and memes. An exemption in New Jersey바카라s law banning TikTok from government devices allows for posts from non-state networks, with permission. Other government accounts across the country have touted their state parks to drive tourism, events and small businesses.
In Pennsylvania, you have Shapiro and his steaming 바카라Get S바카라t Done바카라 mug of tea 바카라 a nod to his edgy tagline 바카라 or slightly shaky footage as he records himself thanking teachers as his kids head back to school. As a play on the popular 바카라point of view바카라 videos where creators set up a scenario, Shapiro makes a concerned face with the overlaid text 바카라POV: When extremists try to stop legal votes from counting.바카라
바카라The governor believes, and this administration believes, that there should be no wrong door to accessing government,바카라 said Manuel Bonder, Shapiro바카라s spokesperson.
TikTok is part of that landscape, he said. The administration has a phone dedicated only to making TikToks, off of state Wi-Fi, with no other apps on it, Bonder said.
바카라Bans on state government devices and networks prevent state agencies from reaching a wider audience. Bills like these are being pushed through without regard for the facts,바카라 said Jamal Brown, a TikTok spokesman.
In 2022, researchers found more than 100 accounts for those running for Congress. A majority were Democrats, said Maggie Macdonald, assistant professor of political science at the University of Kentucky.
바카라It seems to be, that Democrats are exclusively having this debate, in terms of having an account and talking of banning it,바카라 she said.
