The Democratic National Convention is planning on streaming the event in the normal, widescreen format but also vertically to accommodate those watching it on mobile devices on apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. It is a move that highlights the Democrats’ commitment to speaking to a younger generation.
The Democratic National Committee confirmed on Tuesday its plans to stream vertically to Axios. The convention will take place in Chicago next week from Monday through Aug. 22.
According to the Pew Research Center, around one-third of people aged 18 to 29 say they get news regularly on TikTok. TikTok only streams vertical videos.
For those looking to stream in a more traditional format, the event will be live-streamed across Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Prime Video, as well as on other social media platforms such as Amazon’s Twitch and X.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz‘s (D-MN) campaign has boosted its online momentum by playing into TikTok and other social media trends. On TikTok, the Harris campaign frequently uses trending sounds and video formats to capture some of the younger audience.
Her campaign has played into the “brat summer” trend, which is based on artist Charli XCX’s album Brat and is supposed to convey a carefree and bold mindset for the summer. On TikTok, videos of Harris laughing and dancing to songs on the album have gained millions of views.
Merchandise from the Harris-Walz campaign has also played into trends for younger audiences. They recently unveiled a hat that features orange text on a camouflage background, a similar design to that of artist Chappell Roan’s merchandise, which is popular with a younger audience. Her album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, had accompanying merch that featured a camo hat with “Midwest Princess” written in orange.
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“Is this real,” Roan said in a post on X, quoting a user who pointed out the similarity.
The hat quickly sold out, and the design is also printed on a beer can cooler.
