CNN Falls Short of Understanding Young Adult Culture, Again

It seems CNN is struggling to stay in tune with the pulse of the youth culture. The network’s coverage of Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s adoption of popular memes often used by young adults has come under scrutiny.

The incident started when anchor Jake Tapper attempted to explain the meme’s relevance on his show, The Lead with Jake Tapper. He incorrectly identified “aesthetic” as a term specific to the Gen Z demographic. Unfortunately, “aesthetic” is a commonly used term, not limited to Gen Z alone.

Tapper’s discussion on the meme was then picked up by Jamie Gangel, a 69-year-old special correspondent, who revealed her limited understanding of the meme and the demographics it is often associated with.

However, the anchor did seem to grasp the idea with some prodding from Kaitlan Collins, the show’s youngest person, who shed some light on what it means to be “a brat” in this context.

While Gen Z might have had a strong connection with Harris during the 2020 election, that relationship seems to have been frayed. A fact that can’t be lost in this election.

What seems clear, according to polls from 2020, is that young voters may hold significant influence over the results. So, rather than mocking the cultural landscape of these critical voters, perhaps it would serve CNN best to develop a greater understanding of and rapport with the 18-to-24 age range.

As Charli XCX, the millennial musician whose term “brat” originated from a tweet about Kamala Harris, would likely attest, a key to successful storytelling is respecting one’s audience.

Now is CNN’s chance to heed the wise words and adopt the spirit of this modern meme-culture to reignite connections with younger viewers who are just starting to grow their voices and voting habits.

Here’s hoping for better times, and a clearer comprehension of pop culture that resonates with those under the age of 35.