Jumping into the frigid waters of Coney Island in January for a pun on “I’m freezing… your rent”. Visiting food trucks to discuss how city permitting processes have led to “Halalflation”. Walking the length of Manhattan to show New Yorkers they “deserve a mayor that they can see, they can hear, they can even yell at”.
Those social media videos helped propel Zohran Mamdani and his left-wing policies to a surprise win in New York City’s mayoral primary, and then to victory in the November election.
The democratic socialist, 34, engaged New Yorkers – particularly young voters who spend much of their time “doom-scrolling” – by using social media to build an image of someone who is authentic and joyful, experts told the BBC.
Now, after he was sworn in as mayor on 1 January, his next challenge will be keeping those same supporters engaged and maintaining the momentum in office.
About three-quarters of New York City voters under the age of 30 voted for Mamdani, according to an Associated Press voter poll.
Mamdani’s robust social media strategy engaged these voters by delivering an image of a political candidate that young people – frustrated with older, more established candidates – craved, said Jane Hall, a communications professor at American University who studies politics and the media.
A candidate does not have to be young to connect with young voters, Hall said, “but I think you have to be seen as being authentic and speaking to what people care about in a way that is hip and makes people want to be on the bandwagon”.
Jack Bratich, a journalism professor at Rutgers University who studies political culture and social media, said Mamdani has shown he is able to combine a lightheartedness with serious conversations.
That sense of fun stands in contrast to some of the negativity that President Donald Trump has leaned into on social media, Jennifer Stromer-Galley, who teaches communications, political science, and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University, told the BBC.
