One of the most important trends political and advocacy professionals must grasp is that voters are increasingly consuming politics as entertainment.
Now, I don’t mean for a second to minimize the important issues being discussed, rather I’m pointing to how voters are learning about, discussing, and deciding political issues. From late night TV to memes, voters are being entertained with politics.
If politics is downstream from culture and culture is downstream from entertainment, how did we get here? In the last decade or so, entertainment and popular media have become so diffuse, the only thing we all must share in common is politics.
The ouroboros has swallowed its own tail.
The most successful politicians of this era are the ones who understand that their primary role is as an entertainer or celebrity. Having a loyal audience of fans is the only way anyone can have the capacity to advance their own agenda.
If you don’t attract and grow your own following, the best you can hope for is to borrow someone else’s. The sooner politicians grok this, the more effective they will be.