Jack Schlossberg is famously known as former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, but he has largely flown under the radar until this past year. He leaped to larger audiences when it was announced he was becoming Vogue Magazine’s Political Correspondent in an effort to spread awareness and spark voting turnout ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
In his interview with the magazine, Schlossberg emphasized his passion for both public service and acting like a “silly goose.”
“You’ve got to bring some positivity and good energy to the things you think are important. That’s the only strategy I have,” said Schlossberg.
His description of himself rings true with audiences. With over 436,000 followers on Tiktok, Schlossberg’s endearingly strange antics, such as lip syncing to Pitbull and pouring milk over his head, have gained a lot of support. His fanbase has also translated to Vogue’s TikTok channel, where he posts more serious content recapping election news revolving around Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
While his social media presence may seem polarizing to older generations, it is effective at promoting important causes to young audiences, as his videos have received millions of likes on the app. Many commenters on Schlossberg’s post with Vogue have vocalized not only their support, but their gratefulness towards his unbiased and clear explanations on recent news in American politics. Comments include, “Thank you for this objective summary,” by user lizswansong, “Just do not stop informing!” by user maryann_chandler and “Listened to every. single. word.” by user scorpiopickle.
41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election. About 8 million of those voters will be in key swing states that either candidate needs to secure 270 electoral votes. In 2024, roughly 244 million Americans are going to be eligible to vote, and with Gen Z making up such a significant chunk of that number, mobilizing their votes is key to swaying the results of the election.This makes Schlossberg’s job incredibly important, as Gen Z’s pessimism on politics has greatly impacted their motivation to vote.
Statista found that Gen Z polls the lowest in motivation to vote compared to other generations with only 38% saying they were “more motivated” to vote in the 2024 election as of November 2023. They also had the highest numbers for feeling “less motivated” to vote at 18%, ten percent higher than Millennials, who follow at only eight percent.
The numbers can arguably be translated into real, tangible results because of public figures like Schlossberg who not only encourage people to vote, but keep people updated on election news. Though nonsensical at the surface, Schlossberg’s methods are turning the tide this election, reviving a generation of young people one TikTok at a time.