Filled with cold brew, zero sugar sodas and ZYN nicotine packs, leftist streamer Hasan Picker spends about eight hours a day, seven days a week, bringing political news and election updates to a young audience, much to the amusement of men.
Backlit by three desktop monitors in a studio he built in his Los Angeles home, Picker began his live broadcast last Wednesday in front of tens of thousands of viewers. The main victory of MP Ilhan Omarrecent polls, the war in Gaza and a verdict in Arizona a a fetus may be considered an unborn child.
With 2.7 million followers on Twitch, 1.42 million subscribers on YouTube and 925,000 followers on TikTok, the online influencer is one of many political creators who have experienced meteoric rise in recent years and become a full-fledged niche within themselves. wider media space.
The key to connecting with a young audience about politics is not to just accept memes like the ones that are popular now. “Brat” summerIt became popular after the release of British pop star Charli XCX’s album.
“Tell them that they deserve attention and that their wishes are valid and that you’re really going to do something,” said Picker, who goes by the online username Piker. Hassan AbiHe told NBC News in a recent interview.
Authenticity is not a new approach when it comes to content creation. But that’s something politicians have a hard time achieving on their own — especially amid an election cycle in which many young voters are fed up with politics as a whole.
In general, there are young voters According to NBC News, I’m not too optimistic right now. Follow the Generation Z survey More than 2,600 voters under the age of 30 in September. According to a recent Pew study, most young people now turn to social media platforms for information.
Picker, 33, rose to internet fame on the progressive YouTube show The Young Turks, created and hosted by his uncle Cenk Uygar. After branching out on her own, she became a well-known voice online, garnering a large following of fans and critics.
With such exposure came some controversy – in 2021, Picker temporarily Launched Twitch for using a derogatory term for white people.
Still, Picker’s success as a broadcaster was admired by political creatives alike, especially those pursuing similar progressive audiences.
“He kind of pioneered the space for the style of political coverage that he did,” said Austin MacNamara, known as Gremloe He has amassed nearly 18,500 followers on Twitch.
“He’s not the first person on Twitch to be political, but he’s definitely made it a place where you can actually wrestle with these issues and really tear them down and build them instead of just having debates or yelling hate at each other. the surrounding community, other people who are really great and influential for me personally.
Known as Sean Wiggs SeanDaBlack On Twitch, he also credits Picker with making a big impact on his stream.
“I have been in Hasan community for about 45 months now. He was the first person to introduce me to left-wing politics and in a meaningful way,” said Wiggs, who has more than 16,000 followers on Twitch, one of the only black creators making political commentary on the platform. “Hasan inspired me to be political in addition to being creative, to be political and to fight for the people I should fight for.”
The Republican and Democratic Parties have also realized the influence creators can have on their audiences and have stepped up their efforts over the past year. court creators hoping to connect with more young voters.
In recent years, Picker said he’s seen the online political landscape change. In 2020, he said, political discourse is “more liberal or even pro-Trump because of its counterculture status.”
He kind of pioneered the style of political coverage he did.
-Austin MacNamara aka Gremloe on Twitch
Under President Joe Biden, Picker said, “gamer culture war stories,” referring to the rise of gaming-centric misogynistic communities. – have become the front line of commentators.
“With the rise of Andrew Tate clones, cryptocurrencies and reactionary shock-factor broadcasters, fake masculinity peddlers have taken over a lot of territory, which is clearly a low-propensity voter for Trump,” Picker said. “This presents a unique challenge for the Democratic Party.”
Last month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago became the first company to open its doors to social media content creators, credentials 200 from them more exposure among the online audience for the four-day event.
For Picker, attending the DNC was a unique opportunity to provide his audience with behind-the-scenes access. He describes himself as an entertainer with the goal of helping young people make more informed decisions.
“I have more access to politicians than I did in 2020, so I’m going to try to use that,” he said, adding that he hopes to “motivate Democrats on issues that I think are important to address that will be electorally beneficial.” “
Picker said he wants to see Democrats take a real stand against the high cost of living for young people, call for a cease-fire in Gaza and arms transfers to Israeli forces, and fight for social justice.
About 100 conservative influencers, too He participated in the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, where they also created content for the audience. In recent months, former President Donald Trump has collaborated with key influencers popular among young menincluding Kick streamer Adin Ross and YouTuber Logan Paul.
Some creators said they were offered payment to endorse political candidates. Content creator Tana Mongeau, host of the popular Canceled podcast, recently made headlines after claiming episode that he was offered millions to support a political candidate of a party he did not recognize. (He later wrote in the comments section of the video that he was “100% Democrat and voted for Kamala Harris.”) NBC News has not confirmed these claims.
Picker, who said he would support Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, said he was “approached by political groups but not a direct candidate.”
“I think they know better,” he said. “I welcome the entry every time. But I will never change my mind for money. I’m not sure if others who are not political commentators would hold themselves to similar standards.”
She has appeared on her channel with politicians, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
With the upcoming election, Picker is feeling somewhat optimistic.
“I think Kamala Harris is significantly more sensitive to base calls than anyone I’ve ever seen in the last two innings, at least that’s pretty good,” he said. “The selection of Tim Walz was incredible. “I think that’s why a lot of young people are motivated right now because they feel like they’re being heard.”
Picker will be ready for another busy broadcast day on November 5th.
“I’ll be locked in my seat ready to offer real-time commentary as always,” he said. “Maybe more guests. I hope Chappell Roan.”