NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A new report from All in Together highlights an alarming surge in gendered and racial disinformation targeting Vice President Kamala Harris in the first weeks of her campaign, posing a significant threat to the integrity of the upcoming election. The study reveals that since July 29, there were approximately 30,000 unique public posts on social media platforms containing racist and sexist attacks against Harris, reaching over 8.1 billion estimated impressions. This represents a 50x increase from the same period a year prior.
The report also highlights the role of both deepfake and AI-generated content in targeting the Vice President (need some kind of stat here).
Sexist and racist attacks, especially in high volumes, have the potential to undermine the credibility of women politicians, particularly women of color, according to Lauren Leader, CEO of All In Together, a non-partisan non-profit women’s civic participation and education organization.
“When online hate proliferates against women candidates it can vastly skew the playing field and election,” Leader said. “We are committed to calling attention to this growing challenge in the public square not just because Vice President Harris is running for President but also because women candidates everywhere, from both sides of the aisle, can and are being denigrated this way.”
The new AIT report is the first in a series it will be releasing over the next 12 months to help educate the public on the power of online conversations and impact of these disinformation campaigns. The organization aims to expand its research in the weeks and months ahead to include other prominent female political figures.
The full report can be read here: https://aitogether.org/gendered-attacks-vp-harris/
**About All In Together:**
All In Together is dedicated to equipping, educating, and empowering a multiracial, multigenerational coalition of voting-age women to participate fully in America’s civic and political life.
Sources
[1] The Surge of Gendered and Racial Attacks on Kamala Harris was … https://www.techpolicy.press/the-surge-of-gendered-and-racial-attacks-on-kamala-harris-was-predictable-social-media-platforms-still-arent-prepared/
[2] How will sexism impact Harris’s presidential campaign? – ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/538/sexism-impact-harriss-presidential-campaign/story?id=112444102
[3] Election 2024: Republican leaders warn against sexist, racist attacks … https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-attacks-johnson-hudson-76f8e90d24004e49449087787ac031a5
[4] Critics of Kamala Harris pivot to well-worn historical playbook of … https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/29/critics-of-kamala-harris-pivot-to-well-worn-historical-playbook-of-gender-racial-attacks/
[5] Republicans call Kamala Harris a ‘DEI hire’ as attacks on her gender … https://www.npr.org/2024/07/26/nx-s1-5049816/kamala-harris-sexism-racism-gender-jd-vance-cat-ladies
SOURCE All In Together
