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Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

The Future of Political Messaging Is Young and Online

Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

Crooked Media

Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Winning elections starts now, and that’s only the beginning. The way we get our news has always evolved, and today we face a fractured media landscape that makes it harder to reach people consistently. The American right has often been at the forefront of navigating these waters by finding compelling messengers and putting them on new platforms that reach voters, from the rise of talk radio in the 80s to Fox News, TikTok and YouTube today. That innovation has too often led to domination of these information ecosystems, and we can see the impact in the results of the 2024 election, especially with young voters. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is lagging behind, struggling to connect authentically with the growing number of people who get their information on social platforms. Instead of copying the right’s strategies, it's time to listen to the people who actually know how to use these platforms. Stacey sits down with two standout voices shaping the future of political content online: journalist and political commentator Aaron Parnas, and Gen Z historian Kahlil Greene. They break down how they stay ahead of the curve, what makes social media truly effective for change, and why understanding people—not just platforms—is the key to being heard. Learn & Do More: Be Curious: Getting your news from social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter isn’t wrong—in fact, it can be a fast and convenient way to stay informed throughout your busy day. The key is to follow credible creators you trust, like Aaron and Kahlil, and always take a moment to fact-check what you’re seeing. Stay curious, but stay smart. Solve Problems: Skip the doomscrolling. What starts as “just a few minutes” on TikTok can quickly spiral into hours lost in an endless feed of chaotic news. Break the cycle by sandwiching your screen time with something grounding—take a walk, read a few pages of a book, or unwind with a new show or movie. Give your mind a reset. Do Good: Support your favorite content creators beyond the scroll. Many political commentators have blogs, websites, or Substack pages where they dive deeper into the stories they summarize in under a minute. Following them on these platforms helps you get the full picture—and helps them keep doing what they do best. Follow Stacey’s new Substack, Assembly Notes where she dives into some topics we cover on the show and topics that come up in between episodes. Recommendations: Stacey Abrams recommends the podcast “Landslide” from WFAE and NPR. Kahlil Greene recommends “The Cruel Kids Table” by Brock Colyar at New York Magazine.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams from Cricket Media. I'm your host, Stacey Abrams.

0:14.3

What we know about the world and how we learn what's going on has changed dramatically.

0:20.6

Almost everyone has a diagnosis that boils down

0:23.0

to one key factor. Our media ecosystem has become increasingly fragmented. When there is no central

0:29.8

repository of facts, truth becomes slippery and action feels dangerous. Personally, as a product of the analog three-station news channels that often curated out nuance and multicultural analysis, I must admit that it's a bit exciting that there are now so many different ways to get news and information across TV, radio, podcast, traditional newspapers,

0:57.8

newsletters, and various social platforms. But progress always carries its own challenges. And in a time

1:05.7

when unifying behavior seems like one of the only ways to combat attacks on those we love and attacks on our

1:12.6

way of life, it is harder and harder to figure out how to reach people consistently. Disinformation

1:19.7

and misinformation run rampant, like the recent Republican reframing of peaceful protest against a paramilitary ice raid in Los Angeles,

1:30.8

framing them instead as widespread riots. The intention is clear and it's not new. They want to force

1:38.0

a confrontation, create chaos, and scapegoat immigrants and citizens exercising their First Amendment rights.

1:46.1

Republicans know that if we can be convinced we're in jeopardy, we will concede to ignoring

1:51.6

our laws and our norms for a semblance of peace.

1:57.5

In an age of rising authoritarianism, a fractured, rudderless information landscape moves

2:04.2

beyond our craving for confirmation bias where we pick our news. Instead, what's happening now

2:10.2

is actually breaking our sense of a shared reality, making us all much more vulnerable.

2:16.9

Finding the right sources for information is critical.

2:20.7

TikTok has been particularly popular with Gen Z for the past few years,

2:24.8

and Gen Z is the generation born between 1997 and 2012,

2:28.9

folks who are now in their teens and 20s.

2:31.4

It's where they get their entertainment, how they interact with their friends,

2:34.9

and more prominently, where they get their news.

...

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