The White House expands its influencer engagement efforts with its first Creator Economy Conference

The Biden administration is moving to strengthen its already well-established efforts to connect with content creators in the country.

Christian Thom, director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy, on Friday announced a new event while on stage at VidCon: the White House’s first conference for social media creators.

The August event, the White House Creative Economy Conference, will bring influencers, creators, and social media personalities to the White House to discuss hot-button issues with senior White House officials. Topics may include artificial intelligence, data privacy, and how social media impacts mental health.

After the first 2024 presidential debate, in which he lost to everyone, Biden is still hoping to woo younger voters, social media influencers, and content creators. You could even say he’s working overtime in that department. Or at least the White House Office of Digital Strategy, which is also looking for a meme director.

“The first White House Conference on the Creator Economy will underscore the administration’s commitment to creators and advancing the economic and cultural value they represent,” Tom told TechCrunch. “The Office of Digital Strategy has made working with digital creators one of our top priorities, and we are excited to engage with creators about how these topics impact on their lives and how they can help inform policy decisions.”

It’s a new move for a very tired administration. But it’s not the first time we’ve seen the Biden administration reach out to content creators. Last month, in National Democratic Congress Through the United Center media tour, influencers were given skybox seats next to ABC and NBC journalists. Biden’s team has reached out to hundreds of influential people throughout his presidency, hoping to positively cover issues affecting Americans and political events. They have previously worked with influencers to convince Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as well.

Love it or hate it, many Americans get their news from social media. About 32% of 18- to 29-year-olds got their news from TikTok last year, according to a recent study. Pew Research Center survey. Connecting with influencers makes sense, as does creating a welcoming environment for America’s emerging creators and influencers who are driving many markets. They’re not going anywhere. They’re influencers. And they’re creating shareable content.

The event is scheduled to take place three months before Election Day. The timing is not a coincidence – it seems necessary, even desperate. However, as Biden sought to ban TikTok, his campaign relied heavily on social media to promote itself.

“The fragmented media environment requires us to show up and meet voters where they are – and that includes online.” NBC spokesman said: In April. “TikTok is one of the many places we make sure our content is seen by voters.”