Content creators get credentials for the first time at DNC in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) — For the first time, the DNC credentialed hundreds of social media content creators as organizers try to tap into different audiences.
But what did the creators think of the program, as news cameras and delegate seating made space for something new?
"They're looking. The people are looking, and they're engaging. And they're saying we're proud of you," said Samantha Lampkin, a Chicago South Side resident.
Lampkin was tapped to be one of more than 200 content creators at the DNC.
"Some of these folks literally have tens of thousands if not millions of followers," said former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. "You'd be crazy not to try to tap into that."
Lightfoot walked the "blue carpet" with creators this week. She said credentialing allows the DNC to know what kind of audience each creator taps into.
"You've gotta vet them. Right?" she said. "Because everybody who has a microphone and an iPhone or whatever might not necessarily be doing work for good. But there's definitely ways in which you can see what their content has been and whether or not it aligns with yours."
For Nadya Okamoto, who has more than four million followers and whose account focuses on female reproductive health, there's a clear link between her content and the party's platform.
"I had the chance to interview Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and I mean, I have looked up to her for a really long time," Okamoto said. "She is actually the governor who signed the 'Tampon Tax' to come down in Michigan."
Each of the creators CBS News Chicago spoke to said they're seeing engagement and views increase on their social media platforms, which translates to more views for them and more viewers for the DNC.