Laura Cervi publishes a study on TikTok and politics in the prestigious journal Political Communication
Laura Cervi, a lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication Studies, has published a study with Sarah J. Jackson of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania on the role of memes, humour and pop culture in political communication on TikTok.
Laura Cervi, a professor in the Department of Journalism and Communication Studies at UAB, has co-authored the article Kamala is Brat: TikTok and the Affective Politics of Memes with Sarah J. Jackson of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. The article has been published in the prestigious international journal Political Communication.
The study examines the viral Kamala is Brat phenomenon, which emerged during the 2024 US presidential campaign, to explore how TikTok users help shape political candidates’ public images through memes, humour, music and pop culture references.
The research shows that users do more than reproduce campaign messages: they reinterpret candidates through the platform’s own vernaculars. In Kamala Harris’s case, these practices helped create an image that was more relatable, playful and culturally connected to young audiences.
Beyond this particular case, the article highlights a transformation in political communication on TikTok: candidates’ public images no longer depend exclusively on campaign strategies but are collectively negotiated through memes, trends, emotions and user participation. The research thus reveals an increasingly porous boundary between politics, entertainment and popular culture.