Gen-Z for Change

Last updated

Gen-Z for Change
NicknameGen-Z X el Cambio
FormationOctober 2020;3 years ago (October 2020)
Founder Aidan Kohn-Murphy
Type Nonprofit
87-2835389
Legal statusNon-profit advocacy organization; 501(c)(4)
Location
Methods Social media, Digital Organizing, Activism
Membership
500+
Acting Executive Director
Elise Joshi
Staff
15–20
Website https://genzforchange.org/
Formerly called
TikTok for Biden, Gen-Z por el Cambio

Gen-Z for Change, formerly called TikTok for Biden, (Spanish: Gen-Z X el Cambio, formerly Gen-Z por el Cambio) is an American non-profit advocacy organization, founded in 2020 that uses social media to promote civil discourse and civil action among members of Generation Z. It consists of a core team of 15–20 people and a coalition of over 500 content creators and activists, and partners with influencers, activists and celebrities to produce multimedia content. Its advocacy addresses a wide range of topics such as abortion rights, COVID-19, student debt cancellation, climate change, income inequality, social inequality, immigration, racial justice, gun control, foreign policy, voting rights, and LGBT issues. Collectively, Gen-Z for Change's members have 540 million followers and receive 1.5 billion monthly views on social media. [1] [2]

Contents

Gen-Z for Change has received significant news coverage for its activities, including a one-hour briefing with the White House for 30 prominent TikTok content creators about the United States’ strategic goals regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine (which was parodied by Saturday Night Live ), [3] [4] protests against companies such as Starbucks and Kroger for anti-union firings, [5] and abortion-rights advocacy following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Olivia Julianna, one of Gen-Z for Change's political strategists, raised more than $2 million in donations to abortion funds across the country through the organization after U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz ridiculed her appearance in July 2022. [6] [7]

History

The organization's account on TikTok was created in October 2020 under the name TikTok for Biden, to support Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election in the United States. [8] The organization was renamed Gen-Z for Change in January 2021. [9]

In early March 2022, the presidency of Joe Biden enlisted Gen-Z for Change to help organize a briefing between senior administration officials and prominent social media influencers about the Russo-Ukrainian War. [9] The briefing was leaked to The Washington Post, which later inspired a sketch on NBC's comedy show Saturday Night Live. [10] [11] Prior to that, Gen-Z for Change partnered with the White House and United States Department of Health and Human Services to combat COVID-19 misinformation and promote vaccination efforts. [12] Although the organization has regularly criticized the Biden administration, some have worried about their close ties to each other. [9]

In late 2023, Gen-Z por el Cambio was established as a section dedicated to Latino and Latin American perspectives on issues like immigration. [13] It is now called Gen-Z X el Cambio.

In March 2024, Gen-Z for Change, with organizations like March for Our Lives, Sunrise Movement, and United We Dream Action, submitted a petition to Biden regarding U.S. democracy, climate change, and immigration. [14] The organization refused to endorse Biden's re-election campaign, with Executive Director Elise Joshi citing his support of the fossil fuel economy, mishandling of the pandemic, support for Israel during the Gaza war, [15] and crackdown on immigration. However, 2 hours after Biden withdrew on July 21, it endorsed Kamala Harris's imminent campaign. [16]

Members and associates

Current

Former

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Z with stroke</span> Letter of the Latin alphabet

Ƶ is a letter of the Latin alphabet, derived from Z with the addition of a stroke through the center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TikTok</span> Video-focused social media platform

TikTok, whose mainland Chinese counterpart is Douyin, is a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from three seconds to 60 minutes. It can be accessed with a smart phone app.

Social media was used extensively in the 2020 United States presidential election. Both incumbent president Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden's campaigns employed digital-first advertising strategies, prioritizing digital advertising over print advertising in the wake of the pandemic. Trump had previously utilized his Twitter account to reach his voters and make announcements, both during and after the 2016 election. The Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden also made use of social media networks to express his views and opinions on important events such as the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the protests following the murder of George Floyd, and the controversial appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hype House</span> Collective of TikTok and other social media creators

The Hype House was a collective of teenage TikTok personalities based in California, United States as well as the name of the mansion in which some of the creators live. It is a collaborative content-creation house, allowing the different influencers and content creators to make videos together easily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Hall</span> American social media personality (born 1999)

Bryce Michael Hall is an American social media personality. He is most known for his videos on TikTok and YouTube. As of October 9, 2023, his TikTok account has 24 million followers, and his YouTube channel has 3 million subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Lorenz</span> American technology reporter

Taylor Lorenz is an American journalist. She is a columnist for The Washington Post and a podcaster for Vox Media, hosting a show called Power User. She was previously a technology reporter for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and Business Insider, and social media editor for the Daily Mail. She is particularly known for covering Internet culture. In 2023, she published a book called Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avani Gregg</span> American social media personality

Avani Gregg is an American social media personality who first developed a following on TikTok. She plays Gemma in the web series Chicken Girls. She received the Shorty Award for TikToker of the Year in 2019, and was on the Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 in the social media category.

Algorithmic radicalization is the concept that recommender algorithms on popular social media sites such as YouTube and Facebook drive users toward progressively more extreme content over time, leading to them developing radicalized extremist political views. Algorithms record user interactions, from likes/dislikes to amount of time spent on posts, to generate endless media aimed to keep users engaged. Through echo chamber channels, the consumer is driven to be more polarized through preferences in media and self-confirmation.

Wisdom Kaye is a Nigerian-American model and social media personality known for his fashion-related posts. As such, Vogue considers him "TikTok's best-dressed guy".

Aaron Gideon Parnas is an American lawyer and democratic activist. Parnas is the son of Lev Parnas, known for his role in the Trump-administration Trump–Ukraine scandal. Parnas, who was once a staunch Republican and supporter of President Donald Trump, has since become an activist in support of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libs of TikTok</span> Far-right and anti-LGBT Twitter account

Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent. Raichik uses the accounts to repost content created by left-wing and LGBT people on TikTok, and on other social-media platforms, often with hostile, mocking, or derogatory commentary. The accounts promote hate speech and transphobia, and spread false claims, especially relating to medical care of transgender children. The Twitter account, also known by the handle @LibsofTikTok, has nearly 3 million followers as of February 2024 and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right. Libs of TikTok's social-media accounts have received several temporary suspensions and a permanent suspension from TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. L. DiVittorio</span> American writer and comedian (born 1995)

Gina L. DiVittorio is an American writer, comedian, and political commentator. She is best known for The Pocket Report, a satirical news web series focused on American politics and society that she writes, performs, and edits, and a viral video about the dating app Hinge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aidan Kohn-Murphy</span> American political activist (born 2004)

Aidan Kohn-Murphy is an American social media content creator and political activist. He is the founder of Gen-Z for Change, a non-profit advocacy organization that uses social media to promote civil discourse and political action among members of Generation Z.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Ong</span> American TikToker (born 1993)

Melissa Ong, better known under her former TikTok username chunkysdead and nickname Mother Hen, is an American Internet influencer, TikToker, YouTuber, and former user experience designer. She worked at several technology companies before leaving her job to focus on making videos for the social network TikTok. Ong is best known for the "Step Chickens," a self-described online cult formed after Ong released a TikTok video in a chicken costume satirizing tropes in pornography. The Step Chickens are more akin to a cult of personality or fandom than a harmful or violent cult; their main activities include spamming the comments sections of other creators, changing their profile pictures to match a selfie taken by Ong, and conversing on an app rebranded for them by Ong's friend and former co-worker.

The millennial pause is a pause in speaking at the start of some videos, especially in short-form content and on social media apps such as TikTok. The pause is generally ascribed to millennials, the generation of people born from the early-mid 1980s to mid-1990s. The phenomenon is an example of the digital generation gap between millennials and subsequent generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V Spehar</span> American TikTokker

Vitus Spehar, better known as V Spehar, is an American journalist and podcast host best known for their TikTok account, UnderTheDeskNews.

Olivia Julianna is an American political activist, abortion rights advocate, and strategist from Texas. She was formerly a director of politics and government affairs for Gen-Z for Change. Julianna has maintained a heavy social media presence to encourage civic engagement on issues such as abortion rights and climate change. She was named one of the 50 Most Influential People of 2022 by Bloomberg Media.

Jools Lebron is an American TikToker. Her video titled "How to be demure at work", posted on August 2, 2024, went viral and amassed over seven million views. Following her initial online success, Lebron released a second video on how to be "demure" at work, which received over fifty million views.

Carlos Eduardo Espina is a Uruguayan-born American activist for immigrant rights, lawyer, content creator, and social media personality.

References

  1. ↑ "Gen-Z for Change - About Us". February 7, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ Latu, Dan (November 10, 2021). "They started making TikToks for Joe Biden. Now Gen Z For Change wants to wield real political clout". The Daily Dot. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ Lorenz, Taylor (March 11, 2022). "The White House is briefing TikTok stars about the war in Ukraine". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  4. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (March 13, 2022). "On 'S.N.L.,' President Biden Seeks Help From TikTok Influencers". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ Harrington, Caitlin. "A TikTok Army Is Coming for Union Busters". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  6. ↑ Latifi, Fortesa (August 3, 2022). "Olivia Julianna on Gen Z for Change, Fundraising Off Matt Gaetz, and Texas Politics". Teen Vogue. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  7. ↑ Jones, Dustin (July 28, 2022). "A Texas teen raises over $700,000 for abortions after Rep. Matt Gaetz mocked her". NPR. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  8. ↑ "200+ TikTokers Team Up on 'TikTok for Biden' Account". PAPER. October 9, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 Ward, Ian (March 27, 2022). "Inside the Progressive Movement's TikTok Army". POLITICO. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  10. ↑ Lorenz, Taylor (March 11, 2022). "The White House is briefing TikTok stars about the war in Ukraine". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  11. ↑ Andrews, Travis (March 13, 2022). "SNL imagines the Biden administration's meeting with TikTok stars for help with Ukraine effort". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Teen social media stars in uphill battle against COVID-19 vaccine misinformation". ABC News. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  13. 1 2 Gomez, Guisell (October 13, 2023). "Are You Looking for 'Chisme,' Educational Content, and Everything In Between? Latino TikToker Tony Vara Has Got You Covered". BELatina .
  14. ↑ Pequeño, Sarah (March 6, 2024). "If Biden ignores Gen Z during his State of the Union address, that would be a mistake". USA Today.
  15. ↑ Lorenz, Taylor (June 20, 2024). "Gen Z influencers who supported Biden in 2020 turn against him". Washington Post. p. A13. ISSN   0190-8286. ProQuest   3069694539.
  16. ↑ Huynh, Anjali (July 24, 2024). "Project coconut' and being 'brat': How some young voters are responding to Kamala Harris". Boston Globe. ISSN   0743-1791. ProQuest   3084055300.
  17. ↑ Martínez Yañez, Jordi Alonso (August 23, 2024). "Los influencers latinos que tuvieron voz durante la Convención Demócrata (y qué dijeron sobre el voto)". El País US (in Spanish). ProQuest   3096615088.
  18. ↑ @genzforchange (September 12, 2023). "Olivia Julianna is not associated with Gen-Z for Change" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.