New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani built his popularity online. Now, his administration is using influencers to reach even more people. The City Hall has developed a network of content creators and influencers to promote the mayor’s policies and present his administration in a positive light.
The updates are shared through Signal, an encrypted messaging app that keeps the conversations out of public view, reported The New York Times . The administration regularly shares updates on the mayor’s priorities with influencers through group chats, encouraging them to create content around his work.
Debate Over Influencers In Government Communication
The use of influencers by City Hall has raised questions about transparency, public funding and the growing role of influencers in government communication. The influencers are invited to events with Mamdani, and some have received opportunities for one-on-one interviews with him. The arrangement has drawn scrutiny from watchdog groups over the use of influencers and private communication channels. City Hall has declined to provide details including the budget of its new media office, the list of influencers involved and the government’s overall spending on influencer campaigns.
City Hall has worked with more than 1,200 content creators since Mamdani took office, according to the NYT report. A Signal group overseen by new media director Emilia Rowland includes more than 250 influencers, while other groups focus on specific audiences such as parenting influencers.
It does not pay the influencers, although their access to the mayor can potentially help them gain followers and attract commercial sponsorships, according to the mayor’s office. Co-director of the Technology Policy and Innovation Concentration at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, “They could be promoting a product, they could have a contract from a city agency.”, according to Anya Schiffrin.
