Political Donors Put Their Money Where the Memes Are<br />Donor excitement about social media organizing, he added, is a “natural evolution toward a skepticism of TV<br />and paid media, where you can spend a lot of money very quickly and not be sure what you’re getting for it.”<br />The ubiquity of social media, coupled with the low cost of production, has tempted donors from both parties.<br />Viral media expertise is emerging as a crucial skill for political operatives,<br />and as donors look to replicate the success of the social media sloganeers who helped lift President Trump to victory, they’re seeking out talented meme makers.<br />Mr. Trump spent many millions less than his opponents did on traditional TV advertising,<br />but benefited from an army of amateur creators who flooded social media with pro-Trump messages<br />“Particularly on social media, the existing political media was pretty slow to respond.”<br />For Mr. Eldridge, the return on investment has been shockingly high.<br />“You need quick, memeable, shareable content.”<br />While some social publishers are structured as nonprofits, many are for-profit businesses that more closely resemble internet start-ups.<br />The page has five million followers, and its nonprofit affiliate has received funding from donors<br />including Open Society Foundations, a group backed by the progressive billionaire George Soros.<br />“There was a ton of anger on the left and many progressives looking for something to do,” Mr. Eldridge told me in an interview.
