38th Annual Student Research Conference
Kamala Harris' Brat Summer: A Visual Rhetorical Analysis of the Harris Campaign's Image Construction via Instagram
Colleen E. O'Reilly
Dr. Jay Self, Faculty Mentor
Since 2008, political candidates have become increasingly dependent on social media to connect with potential voters. The rise of image-based social media sites, such as Instagram, communicate messages differently to audiences than text-based sites, like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. During the 2024 presidential election cycle, candidate Kamala Harris was forced to run a rapid campaign due to President Bident’s sudden withdrawal from the race on July 21. Over the 107 days of her campaign, her team crafted a significant social media presence to reach voters. This paper will clarify the political image the Harris campaign crafted via the campaign’s official Instagram account (@KamalaHQ) during the first third of the campaign. Additionally, it will explore how this image was created. This paper will complete a visual rhetorical analysis of still images, and their accompanying captions, from July 21 to September 1 to answer these questions.
Keywords: Social Media, Visual Rhetoric, Image Construction, Political Campaign
Topic(s):Communication
Political Science
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 205-2
Location: SUB Georgian B
Time: 10:30