New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud drains a shot through a basketball rim with no net. If you’ve played basketball in NYC, the netless hoop tells you exactly where you are: just about any public outdoor court in the city. The ball goes in, you expect the classic swish sound, but instead you hear the rim rattling. Cloud’s teammate is New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, here to introduce Mayor’s Municipal Madness, a March Madness-style bracket competition in which residents compete to get the problem of their choice, be it a speed bump or a broken park bench, fixed by Mayor Mamdani himself.
Much is made of the perils of social media and our increasingly online political culture, including concerns of misinformation and increasing polarization. However, Mayor Mamdani’s video shows us the positives of social media in politics: demonstrating what government can do for citizens’ everyday lives and making it fun. Social media can bridge the gap between citizens and their politicians, and perhaps more importantly, it can make the tangible effects of complicated policy clear.
Mayor Mamdani is not the only popular Democrat who uses social media to show how the government can impact citizens in a positive way. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro posts an impressive 60% approval rating, including almost 30% of Republicans, in the nation’s most coveted swing state. He takes pride in showing citizens that government can get things done.
On June 11, 2023, a tanker truck carrying gasoline caught fire beneath the overpass that carries Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. The bridge collapsed, and experts claimed it would take months to fix. Governor Shapiro rebuilt the I-95 in just twelve days. He utilized social media to highlight his efficiency, allowing the world to watch the bridge get rebuilt in real time and livestreaming the whole process and bringing in thousands of viewers at a time. People wanted to see their government in action, working productively. In contrast, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries brought in just dozens of viewers to his livestream during the government shutdown, reflecting a base that believes Congress is weak and ineffective.
Shapiro showed constituents what government could do for their everyday lives, and they rewarded him with 74% approval to 8% disapproval for his contribution in repairing the bridge. Philly Magazine published a piece called: “How Josh Shapiro’s Social Media Skills Turned the I-95 Rebuild Into an Online Party.”
Fun is not a word used often in today’s political sphere, particularly on the Democratic side. But if Shapiro and Mamdani are any indication, we need more of it. In New York, the fun did not stop when Mamdani transitioned from campaigning to governing. Whether it be jumping into the ocean, advertising his plans to freeze the rent, or appearing in a skit with former political rival Curtis Sliwa, Mamdani’s engagement with social media delivers his message and builds his popularity. His video with Sliwa not only brings joy back to an increasingly frustrated party base but also shows how, by establishing politicians as regular people and connecting them directly with voters, social media might help decrease political polarization.
Nearly half of Americans feel the federal government has a negative effect on their lives, and, since 2007, surveys have shown that fewer than 30% of Americans trust the government. Using social media to show how policy can directly influence the lives of constituents, from initiatives as important as fixing the I-95 overpass to those as small as replacing a basketball net. This approach, in turn, can boost morale and rebuild belief in government.
Voter turnout is low in the United States, hovering recently around 65% in presidential elections and 45% in midterm elections. A growing number of young voters feel that casting a ballot is pointless because the government does not do anything for them. Meeting people, especially young people, where they are (on social media) and showing them what government can do for their lives could help reverse these trends.
Democrats running, and potentially governing, in 2028 and beyond should focus on advertising their policy achievements, not just making campaign promises. Show constituents what you have done, engage them where they are, and prove that government can still deliver.
