Meet the Philly social media influencers making civic content resonate
Every Voice, Every Vote partners with a cohort of Philadelphia-based social media ambassadors to share civic content. From left: Nyia Moore, Mejire Arijaje, Elaine Gonzalez Johnson, and LaToi McGinnis-Storr (photo illustration by Jared Council)
For Philly-based social media creators, it can be tough to draw attention to civics-related content. But being authentic has helped them gain traction.
By Jared Council
Nyia Moore, a 35-year-old Philadelphia-based content creator, knows that posting content about local civics and politics won't attract the most eyeballs or likes. Usually, these posts will get less than half the engagement of her other kinds of posts, she said, such as those with lifestyle or fashion content.
But that doesn't stop her from trying. To make civics interesting, she took her 6,800 Instagram followers with her on a shopping trip in preparation for a gala held by Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro last summer. At one point, she asked followers what would be on their playlist if they were starting a political movement (for her, it was Kendrick Lamar's “We Gon' Be Alright”).
She also filmed a "How to Vote" demonstration with Republican Philadelphia Commissioner Seth Bluestein.
"It's already being shown to only about half of my following" due in part to social media’s bias against political content, said Moore, who goes by @the.writeher on Instagram, "So ... I've got to try to sell it."
Moore is among a cohort of Philadelphia-based Every Voice, Every Vote social media ambassadors who are trying to make their civics-related content more relevant to their audiences, especially for younger viewers.
In doing so, they're up against two big headwinds in 2025: algorithmic suppression of content deemed to be political — even reminders to vote — and the lack of a presidential race, which tends to bring an outsized level of audience civic/voter awareness and engagement.
Some content creators said it can feel like an uphill battle because their audiences may not be accustomed to seeing and interacting with civics-related content — especially at the local level, where few high-profile elections take place. This year, in reliably Democratic Philadelphia, the biggest local race was the primary election for District Attorney which incumbent Larry Krasner won in a low-turnout contest.
"If I'm just out here, like, 'Hey guys, do your civic duty,' ain't nobody gonna pay attention to that," said Elaine Gonzalez Johnson, who has about 7,300 Instagram followers. "Unless I have on a really bomb outfit."
Making civics part of your brand
Established by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism with lead funding from the William Penn Foundation, Every Voice, Every Vote (EVEV) is a coalition of media and community organizations focused on advancing civic information and engagement in Philadelphia. It was created in 2022 ahead of the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral election and has continued ever since covering local government and catalyzing civic engagement.
Every Voice, Every Vote has paid partnerships with a rotating cast of more than a dozen social media ambassadors to serve as trusted messengers for nonpartisan messaging campaigns. Examples of past campaigns include reminders about registering to vote or requests for followers to complete opinion surveys about local issues requiring government attention.
Some ambassadors already had a history of posting unpaid content related to voting, local issues, or civic engagement prior to their partnership with Every Voice, Every Vote. Others, like Moore, started posting such content because of it.
Several said they plan to continue to post civics-related content whether they’re paid or not as they are proud of the work and want civic engagement to become a consistent part of their brand.
"I don't create for the algorithm, or what I think that other people will like," Moore recently said on a local podcast called Precision Notes. "I put out what I think is necessary and what I enjoy, and if it resonates with some people, great."
But breaking through social media clutter with civic and political content is not easy, especially in 2025.
In early 2024, Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta announced changes that limited the reach of content it deemed to be political — though it didn't define what it meant by "political."
“Political” content may include nonpartisan messaging, such as encouraging viewers to vote. For instance, The Washington Post reported that when a prominent Instagram influencer used the word "vote" in her captions, the average audience who saw those posts was about 63% smaller.
And if voter turnout is any indication, content about local elections is likely to draw less engagement when national elections aren't happening. In Philadelphia, voter turnout for the November 2024 presidential general election was 65%, while the rate for the November 2023 municipal general election was 31.2%. In the May 20th primary, turnout was around 17%.
"It really is a big challenge, because typically people only care about local politics if there's an uproar about it," said Mejire Arijaje, 30, another Every Voice, Every Vote social ambassador. "Look at the 76ers stadium (debate), right? It was an uproar."
Winning attention
Despite these headwinds, several ambassadors said they're gaining some traction with their civics-related posts by staying authentic and mixing civics and local news in effectively with the content they already post.
For Ajaje’s posts, the main types of content relate to fitness, his small business, and his lifestyle. He also shares local and national news stories, sometimes with his own humorous take. For instance, he made a short skit about being accidentally invited to a government group chat, a reference to the March "Signalgate" leak involving senior Trump Administration officials.
The key, he said, is being himself and making civics and local news relatable.
"I'm taking my dog out on a walk ... and I'm like, 'Oh, this is what is happening. This is what I want you guys to know about,’" said Arijaje, who has about 5,300 Instagram followers. “That's a little bit more relatable, because a lot of my audience likes fitness stuff too."
Some content creators said they aren't waiting for audience engagement; they are initiating it themselves.
LaToi McGinnis-Storr, an Every Voice, Every Vote ambassador with about 19,000 followers, said it is not uncommon for her to dive into the comment section of popular local Instagram pages like The Philadelphia Inquirer and interact with people.
Earlier this year, as part of a paid social media partnership with EVEV she invited her followers to participate in a survey about local issues in Philadelphia. She found people in comment sections expressing their opinions and reached out to them, directing them to the survey.
"Listen, I saw your comment. Why don't you click on this link and give your opinion where it counts," McGinnis-Storr said about the nature of her outreach. "So I've been getting that type of feedback where people were really grateful. Like, 'Oh, this is really good that you're sending this information directly to us.'"
Audiences flocking to social
There are some encouraging signs for reaching news-consumers on social media. Chief among them — more Americans are turning to social media for local news and information. In 2024, nearly a quarter of Americans identified social media as their preferred source for local news and information, according to a study published in November by Pew Research Center. That's up from 15% in 2018.
Preferences differ notably by age: approximately 71% of Americans under 30 reported getting local news from social media at least occasionally, according to Pew, compared with 36% of those aged 65 and older.
"You really see social media sort of gaining prominence as a preferred local news source for people," said Michael Lipka, associate director of news and information research at Pew Research Center. He added: "This is something that is resonating with younger people, and it's a clear part of the information landscape now."
Several EVEV social media ambassadors said they believe consistently incorporating civic and political content into their 24-hour stories can help increase audience appreciation of such content and, over time, boost engagement.
Moore, for instance, said her unpaid "How to Vote" video with Commissioner Bluestein drew 15,000 views on TikTok, becoming one of her most-watched posts. She also received 139 likes on her EVEV-sponsored post encouraging people to complete a survey that assessed Philadelphians’ perspectives of the Parker Administration’s efforts — surpassing her own expectations.
As a Latina creator, Gonzalez-Johnson believes her community engages with her civic-related posts because she's bringing the audience she has built on her personal civic journey.
She noted that her followers are learning alongside her and witnessing the evolution of her engagement — from meeting with elected officials and public figures to being invited to speak during a Philadelphia City Council hearing.
Whether compensated or not, Gonzalez-Johnson has said she plans to keep civic content as part of her content mix while remaining authentic to her voice.
"Now all of these Latinas are like, 'Well, where can I get this information, and how can I hear more?'" she said. "And it does work when you do it that way."