“In Defense of Creators at the DNC”

Originally published on Substack

There’s a New York Times article that calls out creators at the DNC for having no code of ethics and makes us all sound pretty shallow. It’s headlined “Free Booze, a Lake Cruise and Selfies Galore: How Democrats Courted Influencers at the D.N.C.” The subhead reads “Democrats gave social media figures the V.I.P. treatment this week in an aggressive attempt to pump feeds with pro-Harris posts.” Here’s a quote from the article:

“Most of the creators who attended the Democratic convention do not consider themselves journalists and have set no code of ethics or independence. Their currency is attention, which is how they accumulate followers, and many earn income by promoting commercial products to them. This week, the product was Ms. Harris.”

I am a NYT subscriber and have great respect for their journalism, but I find it ironic that they used a clickbait headline to question the ethics of creators. The actual article, which fewer people will read, is less inflammatory.

I have many problems with the framing of this article, but my biggest gripe is that it is so basic and expected. Influencers like to take selfies? COLOR ME SHOCKED. What would have been way more interesting is asking influencers why they were there, because as opposed to being “courted,” most of us applied for the opportunity. The article makes it sound like we were there for clout, free swag and a cash grab. News flash. Posting about politics loses us followers and brand deals. We also didn’t know what the perks would be or how we would be treated until we got there. And here’s another insight— a room with water, outlets and pretzels is maybe exciting to these particular reporters, but it is not that special to the creators in attendance. It wasn’t there to give us the VIP treatment, it was there to make sure we had what we needed to do what they hoped we would do. The creator lounge’s main purpose was a command center for the agencies who were coordinating interviews and funneling people to and from the creator stage. Yes there was free alcohol, but I’d be curious to see the actual bar bill because I didn’t see many creators taking advantage. We were there to work.

By “work,” I do not mean a paid gig. I mean the same “work” that speakers like Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey spoke about. We were there to do our version of ringing doorbells, phone banks and canvassing, except instead of influencing our neighbors, we are working to energize our online communities. I can’t speak for everyone, but I was not paid to be there. I even paid for my own airfare and hotel. I am also not motivated by parties and free cookies. I’m a grown up with a business who is taking time out of my paying gigs (and time away from my family) to voluntarily support the Democratic Party. Harris is not our “product” like the NYT suggests. When I am paid to promote a product, there is a contract and deliverables. A briefing with the client, key messages I must convey and an approval process. For the DNC, all I was given was access. Nobody told me what to post or what to say. We were free to share our experience however we wanted. Or not share it at all.

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