President Joe Biden’s administration is doubling down on its interest in the creator economy. In August, the White House will host the first-ever White House Creator Economy Conference, which will invite a group of influential social media personalities and industry professionals to discuss issues like data privacy, fair pay, AI, and mental health with senior White House officials.
Christian Tom, the Director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy, announced the news on stage at VidCon on Friday.
“The inaugural White House Creator Economy Conference will emphasize the Administration’s commitment to creators, and reinforce the economic and cultural value they represent,” Tom told TechCrunch. “The Office of Digital Strategy has made work with digital creators one of our top priorities and we are excited to engage with creators on how these topics impact their lives and how they can help inform policy decisions.”
The White House Office of Digital Strategy is a separate entity from Biden’s reelection campaign, now in jeopardy, which has also acknowledged the social power of online creators as it seeks to hire a meme manager. Still, the timing of the conference is key: it will take place about three months before election day.
The one-day conference will include mainstage discussions and smaller breakout sessions.
Throughout Biden’s presidency, the White House has leveraged creators to reach their broad audiences about hot-button issues. In 2021, when coronavirus vaccines began rolling out, Biden’s administration worked with influencers to encourage people to get vaccinated. The White House also briefed creators about the war in Ukraine.
These outreach efforts make sense – according to the Pew Research Center, half of U.S. adults at least sometimes get their news on social media. Social media is such a valuable tool for politicians that despite Biden’s role in the effort to ban TikTok, his reelection campaign is using the platform to reach voters. So is former president Donald Trump, who is challenging Biden’s bid for reelection.