How Zohran Mamdani reached a multilingual, multicultural New York online

5️⃣ Explain Like I'm 5

Imagine you have a magic megaphone that lets you talk to everyone in the playground, but not just any playground—a really, really big one with kids from all over the world. Zohran Mamdani found a magic megaphone like this, but instead of a playground, it was the big city of New York. He used something like our computers and phones (let's call it "the internet") to talk to all these people. In February, only 1 out of 100 people knew he was trying to play a big game in the city. But by July, more than half of them were listening to him! That’s because he used his magic megaphone really well to share his ideas with everyone!

🔟 Explain Like I'm 10

Zohran Mamdani is a man who wanted to make a difference in New York, a big city with people from many different places and who speak many different languages. He started off not very well-known, with only 1 out of every 100 people knowing who he was. But then, he decided to use social media, which is like a super tool on the internet that lets you talk to lots of people at once, no matter where they are or what language they speak.

By posting messages, pictures, and videos online, he started getting more attention. People liked his ideas and started talking about him with their friends and family. This is kind of like when you share a cool new game with your friends, and suddenly everyone in school is playing it. By July, more than half the people liked him and supported his ideas! It shows how powerful talking to people through the internet can be, especially when you want to share important messages.

1️⃣5️⃣ Explain Like I'm 15

Zohran Mamdani's story is about smart, strategic communication in our digital age. Back in February, Mamdani was a minor figure in New York politics, barely registering at 1% in the polls. However, by July, he had skyrocketed to 56% popularity. This drastic change was largely thanks to his effective use of social media platforms, where he reached out to New York's diverse, multilingual population.

His strategy wasn’t just about posting frequently but connecting with a wide range of communities in their languages and relating to their specific cultural contexts. New York City, being incredibly diverse, requires a nuanced approach to communication. Mamdani’s ability to engage with different communities on platforms they use and in a manner that resonates with them helped in amplifying his visibility and appeal.

This story is a powerful example of how modern politics is evolving and how digital platforms can be used to bridge gaps between politicians and the electorate. It highlights the importance of understanding and engaging with the multicultural and multilingual fabric of society to build a broad base of support. Moving forward, it’s likely that more political figures will adopt similar digital-first strategies, especially in diverse urban areas like New York City. This could redefine how political campaigns are run in the future.