Media Contact
President Donald Trump’s campaign went out of their way to reach young, apolitical men who are typically low-propensity voters. Advisor Stephen Miller and activist Charlie Kirk went online to specifically encourage men to head for the polls. Trump even appeared on the popular Joe Rogan podcast and with Bill Belichick on the “Let’s Go” podcast.
Drew Margolin
Associate Professor
Drew Margolin, professor of communication at Cornell University, studies the way people communicate online and the role of accountability, credibility, and legitimacy within social networks.
Margolin says:
“Podcasts and other content, like TikTok videos in which people speak directly to the camera, showcase intimacy and personal connection. These feelings build trust in a way that is very different from the way that institutional voices, like media organizations do.
“This ‘intimate’ trust is based on relationship more than ‘credibility’ based trust that we'd expect from a formal authority. I think this kind of trust speaks to young people because they have lost trust/faith in so many of our institutions. Building trust through intimacy is natural and straightforward, sort of like getting around by walking instead of taking mass transit. Less efficient, problematic in many ways, but anyone can do it, and it feels natural.”
