DNC 2024: Considering content creators and AAPI representation

The Democratic National Committee credentialed about 200 content creators for its annual conference just as if they worked for NBC News or the Wall Street Journal. DNC officials say this strategy opens Harris campaign messaging to a potential audience of 169 million people on social media – and generated 30 million views on night one alone.

Former Boston Globe Bostonian of the Year Sam Hyun, a social media strategist who advocates for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, applauds the DNC for embracing the power of content creators, which he says is an essential ingredient for winning a general election.

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However, he’s also critical of the DNC, for what he describes as a lack of representation of Asian voices in the primetime speaker line-up. He thinks Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval or U.S. Senate Candidate Andy Kim would have been excellent choices.

“I was hoping to see more representation from my community that was visible,” Hyun said in Chicago while attending the convention. “We’re the fastest growing racial demographic in the country. The AAPI vote was crucial to a Biden victory in 2020. We’re going to be crucial again in battleground states. You say that you appreciate and care about the AAPI community, but actions speak louder than words.”

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Many members of Massachusetts' delegation at the Democratic National Convention told us they were fired up by the second night of the event, which an expert says has been aimed at reaching young people, including with a DJ playing local songs during the state-by-state roll call. Is it resonating with voters? Follow NBC10 Boston: https://instagram.com/nbc10boston https://tiktok.com/@nbc10boston https://facebook.com/NBC10Boston https://twitter.com/NBC10Boston

Hyun’s criticism was harsher for the Republican National Committee and its convention last month. He believes there was racism directed toward Usha Vance, the wife of vice presidential nominee JD Vance who is of South Asian heritage. He defended her sense of belonging on the RNC stage.

Sam Hyun is the director of government affairs for The Asian American Heritage Foundation and was an invited participant at a content creator summit at the White House earlier this month.