ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
The party's biggest names are speaking here at the United Center - President Biden last night, former President Obama tonight. Tomorrow's lineup includes former President Bill Clinton, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and this 21-year-old.
OLIVIA JULIANNA: Hi, I'm Olivia Julianna from the internet. Check it. Hi, I'm Olivia Julianna. I am a activist and content creator from Houston, Texas.
SHAPIRO: This convention is the first time the DNC has given credentials to content creators. The party describes it as leveling the playing field with traditional media. These are people who have big followings on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms and who don't necessarily worry about journalistic balance in the same way traditional news outlets do. Research shows more Americans are learning about politics through those platforms. And if there is a hierarchy of political content creators, Olivia Julianna is right up near the top.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
JULIANNA: Come with me to Day 1 of the Texas Democrat State Convention in El Paso, Texas.
What is going on with mifepristone in the Supreme Court? Is abortion access protected? It's very complicated, and I understand that. So I'm going to explain it to you.
Well, today, this childless cat and dog lady met with our next president of the United States...
SHAPIRO: She has more than a million followers across all the platforms combined. When Republican congressman Matt Gaetz mocked her appearance two years ago, she used her response to raise more than $2 million for a fund that supports abortion access. But even as her profile and her follower accounts grew, she never imagined that she would be speaking at the Democratic National Convention.
JULIANNA: I might even cry just even talking about this. I didn't think somebody who grew up like me could get here. And...
SHAPIRO: When you say, like me, what do you mean?
JULIANNA: I grew up very working class. I grew up living in trailer houses and farmhouses. And, you know, even once I started doing content, I didn't have enough money to go straight into a four-year university. I went to community college.
SHAPIRO: We met up with her in a lounge that the DNC set aside for creators. And even as people kept coming up to say how excited they were to meet her, she was starstruck, too.
JULIANNA: And then it's people who I'm, like, oh, my gosh, I've never met you. I'm a huge fan. Like, I saw Philip DeFranco at a party last night, and I about threw up...
SHAPIRO: I confess...
JULIANNA: ...From excitement.
SHAPIRO: ...I do not know who that is.
JULIANNA: That's OK. Philip DeFranco is a YouTuber who I've been watching since I was 12 years old. Oh, my God. Wait. Hold up - sorry. This is why...
SHAPIRO: And suddenly, a few guys walk in, and they all scream. It's her crew from Houston.
JULIANNA: These are, like, all my favorite people.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Hi.
SHAPIRO: How are you doing?
JULIANNA: And we all make content.
SHAPIRO: And you're all content creators?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: That's right.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yep.
JULIANNA: We're all content creators. We literally met through TikTok.
SHAPIRO: OK, so how would you describe the difference between what you do and what you do?
JULIANNA: I do it better. No, I'm just kidding.
(LAUGHTER)
SHAPIRO: As we try to talk, someone pops their head into the creator space and shouts, Olivia. Our interview is interrupted because a staffer wants to make an introduction.
JULIANNA: Kamala-style suit...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Olivia.
JULIANNA: Oh, why? What is happening?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Come now.
JULIANNA: I know. I know. I got you. Oh, my God.
SHAPIRO: What's happening?
JULIANNA: I'm meeting Nancy Pelosi.
SHAPIRO: Meeting Nancy Pelosi, former speaker of the House - they shake hands, exchange a few words, pose for a photo. Olivia feels like this was fate.
JULIANNA: This is funny - is I'm literally wearing this outfit because - and you'll find - there is an old picture of Nancy Pelosi speaking at a political event in this hot-pink suit. And I have matched my suits each major night to a woman in political history's suit...
SHAPIRO: That is...
JULIANNA: ...And this is my Nancy Pelosi suit.
SHAPIRO: ...Deep.
When we find a quieter place to sit down, Olivia catches her breath, and I go in with the hard-hitting questions.
So here comes, like, the moment of truth. What's the caption going to be?
JULIANNA: See, now I have the photo. I must go find the photo of her in the pink suit - the iconic pink suit.
SHAPIRO: That inspired you...
JULIANNA: Here we go.
SHAPIRO: ...To wear this pink suit.
JULIANNA: That inspired...
SHAPIRO: Oh, and boom...
JULIANNA: ...Me.
SHAPIRO: ...You pulled it up in a heartbeat.
JULIANNA: Of course - it's bookmarked.
SHAPIRO: (Laughter).
JULIANNA: The caption...
SHAPIRO: The inspiration photo is from 1992, a decade before Olivia was born. She posts, and we continue the conversation.
As a creator, do you think of yourself more as a journalist, a cheerleader, an arm of the campaign? Tell me how you think of your role.
JULIANNA: Yeah. I think every creator is different. Like, but for me, I very much am - I'm not going to pretend like I'm unbiased 'cause I'm not, you know? I'm a creator, but I'm also an activist. My No. 1 goal is to persuade people to get involved in politics, to help them understand how the government works.
SHAPIRO: When Biden passed the torch to Harris and endorsed her, how did you see the content that people in your political content-creation ecosystem were making - how did you see it shift?
JULIANNA: Everyone looked significantly less stressed, for one. But two, I think it went from a - it shifted from a place of pragmatism to a place of excitement.
SHAPIRO: She's now met Vice President Harris several times, but the first time really stands out to her.
JULIANNA: You know, I could barely whisper. I was so nervous to meet her. And that is not like me at all. And...
SHAPIRO: (Laughter).
She says she told Harris that the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan allowed her to afford community college.
JULIANNA: I told her, I'm going to be the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college because of this policy. And, you know, to be a kid who kind of, you know, breaks those generational issues - that's one thing. But to have the vice president of the United States tell you that she's proud of you and that you need to prioritize your education is a whole other level of, Mama, I made it, you know?
SHAPIRO: Next week, Olivia Julianna plans to return to college, doing courses online so she can continue her work as a creator. And in November, this 21-year-old will vote for president for the first time ever, a few months after her speech here at the Democratic National Convention.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Thanks, Ari. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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