{"id":13203,"date":"2024-10-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=13203"},"modified":"2024-10-28T13:48:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T17:48:18","slug":"are-political-candidates-products-contending-with-endorsement-guidelines-in-the-influencer-era-son-los-candidatos-politicos-productos-enfrentando-las-pautas-de-respaldo-en-la-era-de-los-infl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2024\/10\/30\/are-political-candidates-products-contending-with-endorsement-guidelines-in-the-influencer-era-son-los-candidatos-politicos-productos-enfrentando-las-pautas-de-respaldo-en-la-era-de-los-infl\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Political Candidates Products? Contending with Endorsement Guidelines in the Influencer Era \/ \u00bfSon los candidatos pol\u00edticos productos? Enfrentando las pautas de respaldo en la era de los influencers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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English version<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should influencers have to disclose material relationships with political campaigns or political action committees when endorsing candidates or parties? That\u2019s a question the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will have to answer increasingly often as we approach Election Day, and navigate future election cycles in a digital world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no secret that campaigns are actively targeting young voters this election cycle. In the 2020 election, voters under 30 favored Joe Biden by 24 percentage points<\/a>\u2014a significant margin. With more Gen Z voters slated to vote this year than ever before, both Republicans and Democrats recognize the power of the youth vote and are adapting their strategies to reach young voters where they\u2019re at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And where they\u2019re at, overwhelmingly, is social media. About 65% of Gen Z in the United States use Instagram and 63% use TikTok, with 46% of Gen Z respondents in an April 2024 survey<\/a> even saying they would rather use social media to find information online than a search engine. The importance of social media as a campaigning tool simply cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, engaging Gen Z on social media isn\u2019t just about creating candidate accounts. Casual users aren\u2019t likely to interact directly with political accounts, especially on platforms with algorithms that prioritize showing users content they already engage with. To effectively reach these users, campaigns for these candidates are of course going to do what countless businesses do to reach younger markets: solicit influencer endorsements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, rumors have surfaced about influencers being paid substantial sums to endorse political candidates. For instance, Tana Mongeau, host of the \u201cCancelled\u201d<\/a> podcast, claimed she was \u201chypothetically\u201d offered a large sum to support a political party, suggesting that others had accepted similar offers. The reason this rumor is so alarming is that it leaves us as viewers with so much uncertainty: with the lack of guidelines regarding political endorsements, we have no idea whether endorsements we see from influencers are genuine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As these endorsements from influencers become more frequent, the ethical implications of undisclosed payments warrant closer examination. The FTC emphasizes transparency<\/a> in its endorsement guidelines for influencers to prevent misleading audiences. When it comes to political endorsements, however, influencers and the communications professionals behind these campaigns find themselves in a gray area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This raises important questions: does failing to disclose an endorsement compromise the integrity of both the influencer and the candidate? How would voters view these endorsements if they were aware of the financial relationship?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FTC mandates disclosure for product endorsements to ensure audiences aren’t misled. But where do we draw the line? If an influencer claims to their viewers that their quality of life will improve by voting for a certain candidate, knowing that\u2019s not true, does that mislead audiences? Almost definitely. However, unlike faulty products, proving that influencers don\u2019t genuinely believe in the political candidate they\u2019re promoting is nearly impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is difficult to determine whether these paid endorsements are unethical. Most influencers probably aren\u2019t entirely insincere in their support; it\u2019s likely a mix of genuine belief and financial incentive. The challenge for audiences is finding where the line is. On the other hand, even if an influencer fully agrees with a candidate\u2019s platform, their lack of disclosure about financial ties means they aren\u2019t being completely honest. Many people view withholding information as lying in and of itself, which would make these endorsements unethical. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not fair to pass judgements when we are all navigating such uncharted waters, but it is fair to call for the FTC and the Federal Election Commission to clarify regulations regarding paid political endorsements. The era of social media influencers is here to stay, and we must address these issues head-on rather than sidestepping them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ella Duggan is a sophomore at Emerson College majoring in Communication Studies. Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, she is a passionate writer and currently serves as Co-Editor for the Opinion section of Emerson\u2019s official student newspaper, The Berkeley Beacon. In her free time, she loves music and is Assistant Music Director for her a cappella group, the Emerson Acappellics. Connect with her on Lin<\/a>kedin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Versi\u00f3n en espa\u00f1ol<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bfDeber\u00edan los influencers tener que revelar relaciones materiales con campa\u00f1as pol\u00edticas o comit\u00e9s de acci\u00f3n pol\u00edtica al respaldar candidatos o partidos? Esa es una pregunta que la Comisi\u00f3n Federal de Comercio (FTC) tendr\u00e1 que responder cada vez m\u00e1s a medida que se acerque el D\u00eda de las Elecciones y se naveguen los futuros ciclos electorales en un mundo digital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No es un secreto que las campa\u00f1as est\u00e1n apuntando activamente a los votantes j\u00f3venes en este ciclo electoral. En las elecciones de 2020, los votantes menores de 30 a\u00f1os favorecieron a Joe Biden por 24 puntos porcentuales, un margen significativo. Con m\u00e1s votantes de la Generaci\u00f3n Z que nunca antes programados para votar este a\u00f1o, tanto los Republicanos como los Dem\u00f3cratas reconocen el poder del voto juvenil y est\u00e1n adaptando sus estrategias para llegar a los j\u00f3venes donde se encuentran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y donde se encuentran, abrumadoramente, es en las redes sociales. Aproximadamente el 65% de la Generaci\u00f3n Z en Estados Unidos usa Instagram y el 63% usa TikTok, con el 46% de los encuestados de la Generaci\u00f3n Z en una encuesta de abril de 2024 diciendo que preferir\u00edan usar redes sociales para encontrar informaci\u00f3n en l\u00ednea en lugar de un motor de b\u00fasqueda. La importancia de las redes sociales como herramienta de campa\u00f1a no puede ser subestimada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sin embargo, involucrar a la Generaci\u00f3n Z en redes sociales no se trata solo de crear cuentas de candidatos. Es poco probable que los usuarios casuales interact\u00faen directamente con cuentas pol\u00edticas, especialmente en plataformas con algoritmos que priorizan mostrar a los usuarios contenido con el que ya interact\u00faan. Para llegar a estos usuarios de manera efectiva, las campa\u00f1as para estos candidatos, por supuesto, har\u00e1n lo que innumerables negocios hacen para alcanzar mercados m\u00e1s j\u00f3venes: solicitar respaldos de influencers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recientemente, han surgido rumores sobre influencers que reciben sumas sustanciales por respaldar candidatos pol\u00edticos. Por ejemplo, Tana Mongeau, anfitriona del podcast \u201cCancelled\u201d, afirm\u00f3 que se le \u201cofreci\u00f3 hipot\u00e9ticamente\u201d una gran suma para apoyar a un partido pol\u00edtico, sugiriendo que otros hab\u00edan aceptado ofertas similares. La raz\u00f3n por la que este rumor es tan alarmante es que nos deja, como espectadores, con tanta incertidumbre: con la falta de pautas sobre respaldos pol\u00edticos, no tenemos idea de si los respaldos que vemos de influencers son genuinos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A medida que estos respaldos de influencers se vuelven m\u00e1s frecuentes, las implicaciones \u00e9ticas de los pagos no divulgados merecen un examen m\u00e1s cercano. La FTC enfatiza la transparencia en sus pautas de respaldo para influencers para prevenir enga\u00f1ar a las audiencias. Sin embargo, cuando se trata de respaldos pol\u00edticos, los influencers y los profesionales de comunicaciones detr\u00e1s de estas campa\u00f1as se encuentran en un \u00e1rea gris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esto plantea preguntas importantes: \u00bfno divulgar un respaldo compromete la integridad tanto del influencer como del candidato? \u00bfC\u00f3mo ver\u00edan los votantes estos respaldos si fueran conscientes de la relaci\u00f3n financiera?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La FTC exige divulgaci\u00f3n para los respaldos de productos para garantizar que las audiencias no sean enga\u00f1adas. Pero, \u00bfd\u00f3nde trazamos la l\u00ednea? Si un influencer afirma a sus espectadores que su calidad de vida mejorar\u00e1 al votar por un cierto candidato, sabiendo que eso no es cierto, \u00bfenga\u00f1a a las audiencias? Casi definitivamente. Sin embargo, a diferencia de los productos defectuosos, probar que los influencers no creen genuinamente en el candidato pol\u00edtico que est\u00e1n promoviendo es casi imposible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Es dif\u00edcil determinar si estos respaldos pagados son poco \u00e9ticos. La mayor\u00eda de los influencers probablemente no son completamente insinceros en su apoyo; es probable que sea una mezcla de creencia genuina y un incentivo financiero. El desaf\u00edo para las audiencias es encontrar d\u00f3nde est\u00e1 la l\u00ednea. Por otro lado, incluso si un influencer est\u00e1 totalmente de acuerdo con la plataforma de un candidato, su falta de divulgaci\u00f3n sobre v\u00ednculos financieros significa que no est\u00e1n siendo completamente honestos. Muchas personas ven la retenci\u00f3n de informaci\u00f3n como una mentira en s\u00ed misma, lo que har\u00eda que estos respaldos fueran poco \u00e9ticos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No es justo emitir juicios cuando todos estamos navegando en aguas tan inexploradas, pero es justo pedir a la FTC y a la Comisi\u00f3n Federal de Elecciones que aclaren las regulaciones sobre los respaldos pol\u00edticos pagados. La era de los influencers en redes sociales ha llegado para quedarse, y debemos abordar estos problemas de manera directa en lugar de evadirlos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ella Duggan es estudiante de segundo a\u00f1o en Emerson College, donde estudia Comunicaci\u00f3n. Originaria de Wellington, Nueva Zelanda, es una escritora apasionada y actualmente se desempe\u00f1a como Coeditora de la secci\u00f3n de Opini\u00f3n del peri\u00f3dico estudiantil oficial de Emerson, The Berkeley Beacon<\/em>. En su tiempo libre, le encanta la m\u00fasica y es Directora Asistente de M\u00fasica de su grupo de a cappella, los Emerson Acappellics. Con\u00e9ctate con ella en LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

English version Should influencers have to disclose material relationships with political campaigns or political action committees when endorsing candidates or parties? That\u2019s a question the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will have to answer increasingly often as we approach Election Day, and navigate future election cycles in a digital world.  It\u2019s no secret that campaigns are actively targeting young voters this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":13204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3742,2898,3412,3551],"tags":[60,59,978,3801,15],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13203"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13203"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13208,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13203\/revisions\/13208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}