Main Edition
US
FR
July 18, 2024 - 8:30pm
Much of America recognises J.D. Vance as the self-identified hillbilly who loves his mom and Mamaw, an image he has played up to at this week’s Republican National Convention. But for a certain corner of the millennial internet, he’s either one of them — their guy — or an enemy. And his social media presence is the reason behind this.
Like anyone thrust into the public spotlight, the newly announced Republican vice-presidential nominee’s public social media has been put under the microscope. Everyone has something to say about how he posts and who he follows. Some even have things to say about who he doesn’t follow, after this week misunderstanding a viral meme where gimmick and anonymous accounts posted fake screenshots claiming Vance followed them on X.
When he first gained national attention for his social media presence, many commentators viewed it as a liability. The New York Times‘s Frank Bruni characterised Vance’s online behaviour as a “descent” into the “muck” of modern politics. “Vance has devolved further,” Bruni wrote, citing his online description of Times columnist Paul Krugman as “one of many weird cat ladies who have too much power in our country”. Similarly, The Nation asserted that “J.D. Vance’s bad tweets explain modern conservatism.”
So the consensus in elite media circles seems to be that Vance’s online presence was representative of a brain rot unique to the Information Age. Gone was the intellectual “working-class whisperer” who had published the best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy; now a crass, embittered “shitposter” remained in his stead.
However, this framing of Vance’s internet persona as a detriment to his political career and, crucially, to his character, is out of touch. The Ohio Senator’s internet presence might have been “distasteful” to progressive commentators, and even some on the Right, but candidness on social media is the lingua franca of younger generations. If Hillbilly Elegy put him on the map, social media kept him there.
Really, Vance’s online presence is an asset. The truth is that the VP nominee’s occasional forays into “shitposting” such as the easter eggs on his X profile and his references to writers beloved of the online Right such as Curtis Yarvin are not signs of cultural decline. Rather, they are evidence that we’ve fully transitioned from the era of television to social media.
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
SubscribeThe rule is that the Political Right is supposed to remain stuck in 2007 or 2011. Any adjustments adapting to modernity are obvious signs of Autocracy.
A good Republican would allow the Left to create new rules of conduct. The good Republican of 2011 must accept his role as a backwards, homophobic war criminal that will put “y’all back in chains” while keeping “binders of women.” He will be construed as a bad person but as controlled opposition, he shall be allowed to exist amongst polite society.
Be careful! There is no “sarcasm” emoji in the Internet 🙂
You gotta love someone who says this; “… his online description of Times columnist Paul Krugman as “one of many weird cat ladies who have too much power in our country”.
I think his characterisation of Krugman takes flattery to an absurd extreme.