Bernie Sanders: using Instagram to his advantage

by Ariel Schindler

Here’s a little background (in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past four years): Senator Bernie Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist. He began his political career in 1981 when he was elected to serve as mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Then in 1990, Sanders was elected to represent the state of Vermont as its sole Congressman in the House of Representatives, where he served for 16 years before being elected to the United States Senate in 2006. Now, Sanders is serving his third term in the Senate after winning re-election in 2018 with 67 percent of the vote.

In 2016, Sanders made a name for himself when he ran for the Democratic nomination against Hillary Clinton. At the beginning of his campaign, he was popular amongst the young, white male voters. Then, as the campaign continued, he was able to reach a wider base of more racially diverse young voters. Most of which he has regained this time around for the 2020 election. Now, let’s talk about his campaign. More specifically, how his campaign is using Instagram as a way of reaching his supporters and lure more in.

Bernie Sanders and Instagram: Although the typical Instagram user is younger, it’s a platform that is used by older generations as well (think ‘boomers,’ not any older). It’s almost the new Facebook! By posting regularly on this platform, the Sanders campaign keeps up its relevance and allows its followers to be constantly in the loop on his plans for the future of our country.

On Instagram, Sanders has 4.4 million followers and posts at least three times a day highlighting some of his talking points for the campaign. Not only does the campaign use Instagram to update followers on policy proposals, but it also uses the social media platform in a pretty unique way. The Sanders campaign has been using Instagram to reel in more followers and pull at the heartstrings of their existing constituents. It has been doing this by making sure that they are moved by storytelling, facts, and the occasional celebrity endorsement.
Usual Bernie posts include…
 • personal stories from citizens going through tough times
• videos of the candidate speaking with some of his celebrity endorsers -- examples include Cardi B, Mark Ruffalo, Dick Van Dyke, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Kendrick Sampson, (the list goes on…) 
• Sanders himself speaking to his followers directly about what he will do if elected
• what his followers can do to help get Sanders into office

And when it comes to his audience on the platform, his team realizes that he can reach a wide array of demographics and they use it to their advantage.

Bernie’s History of Activism and his Modern-Day Campaign: Bernie Sanders has built an incredible coalition off of the foundation of his history of activism. In the days of the civil rights movement, Sanders was on the right side of history, fighting for what’s right… equal rights. Throughout his political career, he has stood by his beliefs. Fighting for the rights of the oppressed. Fighting for civil rights, women’s rights, and human rights in our country and around the world. This is his story and it is different from all of the other candidates he shares a debate stage with.

By doing this through Instagram, he gains support from the black and Hispanic communities, as well as women. This is the foundation that his campaign focuses on and it’s how they have built a national community through their social media. This is what his campaign posts on #tbt (throwback Thursday), how they remind voters who Bernie is and who he has always been.

Community of Sanders Supporters: Sanders’ campaign constantly projects the idea that we are all on the same side, that we are a national community and that we must look out for one another. We are fighting for the rights of everyone. He shows this through his rallies and speeches, which are then reposted on his Instagram after (and sometimes during) every event. ‘

Bernie Sanders is the change the country needs.’ This is a statement you can find on his official campaign website. He has built a coalition of supporters who understand that he is trying to change the way our government is run.

With posts like the one above, Sanders creates a sense of community and urgency within his Instagram platform, and he uses it to encourage action from his followers.

Let’s get involved! The Sanders campaign has a ton of different ways that people can get involved in the campaign that they promote on their Instagram page. His campaign encourages supporters to get involved in a mix of straightforward ways and creative, not by simply telling individuals to register to vote. The Sanders campaign gets individuals involved in the political process by asking people to sign up for door-knocking events and registering people in their neighborhood to vote (even if they don’t vote for him). Recently, his team has created a goal for the volunteers to get 2 million doors knocked on for Super Tuesday.

Not only does the campaign encourage people to get involved in the campaign, but it also hosts and invites people to attend rallies in major cities across the country. These rallies have special guests such as famous political figures and celebrities that endorse Bernie Sanders for President. -- an example being Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Sanders has also created organizing calls. These calls take place with specific demographic groups to really discuss issues that these individuals are facing within their communities, and policies that will make a difference in bringing them help. Some of these demographic groups include…
• Muslims
• Asian Pacific Islander Americans
• Veterans
• Union members
• African Americans & HBCU’s

Instagram has helped lead Bernie Sanders to be the party's presidential frontrunner. But is it enough to secure the nomination?