On Sept. 16, a brand new, particular mayor was introduced in Somerville: one who emerged from a decent, grueling race over the summer time, in a marketing campaign that had residents sitting on the sting of their seats. Oh, and the preliminary elections for Somerville mayor occurred too.
Throughout the summer time, a particular election in Somerville captured the eye of on-line netizens throughout varied media platforms. No, it wasn’t the latest preliminary election; it was a marketing campaign for the fictional title of ‘Bike Path Mayor’ on the Somerville Group Bike Path, the place Minerva, a long-haired black cat who campaigned on a single-word slogan — “CRIME” — claimed victory in opposition to different furry, feline cat-didates.
It’s no coincidence to see this rise in reputation of grassroots animal politicians, from our resident bike path mayor to the viral Mayor Max III in California, alongside the final downward sliding of approval charges for human politicians prior to now couple of a long time. By means of the microcosm of our host group Somerville, we will see this phenomenon clearly demonstrated.
Breaking nationwide headlines in early July, this fluffy marketing campaign put Somerville, Mass., on the map, garnering protection from Individuals, The Guardian and The Boston Globe. Most of its consideration, nonetheless, got here from social media platforms, with posts reaching half one million likes on Instagram and a pair of million views on TikTok. Paradoxically, the precise preliminary election, which narrowed the pool of Somerville mayoral candidates earlier than the municipal election in November, was held on the identical day the bike path mayor outcomes have been launched. But the preliminary election solely had a turnout charge of 23.37%, a decline from the municipal election 4 years in the past.
This mock mayoral election has actually been entertaining to look at and enjoyable to see it serving as a inventive outlet to unite animal homeowners locally. Moreover, as a result of the race’s heart is the bike path, which has been plagued by dozens of marketing campaign garden indicators, it’s drawing a substantial amount of consideration to itself. As a Tufts scholar, it’s additionally heartwarming to see a lot consideration being drawn in the direction of a group so near campus.
I’m positive it’s simple to attribute the explosive reputation of the mayoral race to one of many many viral animal content material items that flow into on social media in our digital age. Nonetheless, I’d argue that there’s a bigger implication with this rise. When you have a look at the remark sections of different viral animal politicians, you’ll typically discover feedback like, “The one politician I can belief,” beneath a TikTok of Mayor Max or, “The one member of parliament that the entire nation can get behind,” from The Solar’s video protection of Larry the Downing Road Cat. Each of those feedback obtained 1000’s of likes, displaying how widespread this outlook is amongst people.
Given the outcomes of the presidential election final 12 months, I’m positive I’m not alone in feeling voter fatigue and frustration with the present political panorama. It’s troublesome to remain optimistic if each time I activate the information or doomscroll social media, I watch America’s political panorama descend additional into what looks as if incomprehensible chaos, particularly as part of the brand new era of younger voters. With the tidal wave of Era Z participation within the 2024 presidential election and our overwhelming presence on social media platforms, it’s inconceivable to not discover a fatigue this 12 months in native elections.
One more reason for poor voter turnout, in line with College of Pennsylvania political scientist Daniel Hopkins, is that the media itself — particularly its protection — has brought on folks to shift their consideration away from native politics. He noticed how, as People transition from printed and native information to the web and cable tv, we’re additionally forsaking sources that often present state and native info. That is extremely ironic. Dwelling within the digital age, the place all of us have a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips, how is it that our era has grow to be more and more indifferent from the communities we now have probably the most entry to?
Maybe it’s simpler for us to remain invested in an informal cat marketing campaign; in any case, they’re foolish and completely lovable. However this shouldn’t distract us from partaking in human politics. Though the latest information can dissuade us from believing that our vote has any actual affect on coverage, that shouldn’t cease us from getting our voices heard anyway.
