There are two universal truths about memes. One, that memes peaked when corporations started using them. And two, political memes are very difficult to create.
Democrats and Republicans alike have attempted internet humor. President Joe Biden's re-election campaign, which has built a somewhat robust internet meme presence so far, is trying to take it further. According to a recent job listing, the campaign is hiring a manager to handle "day-to-day operations to include core web content and meme sites. The position comes with a salary of up to $85,000.
The job essentially involves recruiting content creators to make memes for the campaign, says Clarke Humphrey, the campaign's senior adviser on digital persuasion.
"All we're trying to do is give them information about what Joe Biden has done and what his plan is for a second term," Humphrey told Politico. "Then the creators will take that information and understand how it blends with the other work they're doing."
Biden has long embraced partnerships with content creators as part of his strategy to increase outreach to young Americans.
Mobilizing an army of creators to purposely make memes to win over voters is dangerous, especially when voters already seem pretty disinterested in the election — and the two main candidates.
