While there are many reasons for Zohran Mamdani’s success, the New York City mayor-elect’s meteoric rise was in no small part down to his campaign’s blazing social media game. Across TikTok, Instagram and X, his ads have racked up tens of millions of views, turning his charismatic potential into an electoral earthquake that has shaken the foundations of the Democratic party. Many politicians on both sides of the Atlantic will be asking: what is his secret formula?
For me, the answer is clear. Since I was only 14, I’ve been an online leftwing commentator, building a platform of more than 700,000 followers on Instagram with no money or institutional backing. On social media, radicalism isn’t a potential liability – it’s your strongest selling point. This is a reality that the most adept politicians – from Mamdani to Donald Trump – understand very well. Above all else, what matters online is your authenticity and commitment to standing by the things you believe in, no matter how many outraged headlines they may produce.
