Will an 18-year-old pop star convince young people that the COVID-19 vaccine is good 4 u?
Young Americans are trying to return to the normalcy theyve long yearned for since the pandemic started. Things are shaping up to be a little brutal out here. Americans between 12 and 29 are contracting COVID-19 at the highest rates while being the least protected  only 38 percent are vaccinated against the virus as of May 22, according to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention. The vaccine is now available in every state for people 12 and older, but Gen Z and younger millennials remain hesitant for various reasons, from not feeling any urgency to believing disinformation  messages that are sometimes spread by elected officials. The Tennessee Department of Health stopped all vaccination outreach efforts toward minors after pressure from Republican lawmakers in the state, according to records obtained by the Tennessean. So the White House has enlisted someone they hope can convince younger folks that the vaccine will keep them happy and healthy: Olivia Rodrigo. The announcement came  fittingly  via Instagram. President Joe Biden posted a picture of himself as a teen with the caption, I know this young person wouldve gotten vaccinated, but weve got to get other young people protected as well. Whos willing to help? Rodrigo, who came of voting age in February, commented on the post, im in! see you tomorrow at the white house!  The comment has since received more than 72,000 likes and over 1200 replies, including one from the POTUS account saying, You bet! The pop star, who spoke at Wednesday afternoons White House press briefing, is meeting with the president and top White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci to make videos about the importance of young people getting vaccinated. Biden hoped to have at least 70 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, but did not reach that goal. The vaccine is the countrys best shot at containing the coronavirus and preventing more deaths and debilitating symptoms that can last for months. While many other countries are struggling with vaccine supply, the United States has a surplus. Yet the vaccination rate in the U.S. has slowed since peaking in April. That stubborn vaccination lag has moved the Biden administration to turn to a trusty strategy  seek credibility and star power from influencers to help end the pandemic. The influencer complex  At its best, social media is necessary to share important information with millions of people in seconds. At its worst, disinformation and misinformation can be shared even faster. This is where assistance from influencers comes in. Experts say the more people share their decision to get vaccinated on social media, the more it can help motivate others in their circles to also get theirs. Whether its a micro-influencer with a few thousand followers, or someone with millions of followers across multiple platforms (like, for instance, Rodrigo), there is a relationship of trust between the influencer and the influenced. Brands capitalize on this all the time by paying influencers to market their products. And for a lot of brands, it works. According to MediaKix, one of the first influencer marketing agencies, influencer commerce is now a $5 to $10 billion industry. Savannah Lee Coco, co-author of a research article that examines the impact influencers have on marketing, said followers often feel like they have a type of personal relationship with influencers. An influencers perceived authenticity is important when it comes to selling or promoting a product, she said, but studies show that even if followers dont find a post to be authentic, they still may be influenced by the product promoted. The White House is not paying Rodrigo to promote the vaccine, but her platform is extremely valuable. The star has more than 14.4 million followers on Instagram, 1.3 million followers on Twitter and 9.3 million followers on TikTok. Her content is geared toward teens and young adults and her audience consumes just about everything she has to say. Because of her celebrity status as an actress and singer, Rodrigo differs from influencers who gained their fame by just posting about their lifestyle. But the way Rodrigo interacts with her followers on social media connects with them on a more personal level than other celebrities, which has helped her gain their trust. When you think about the vaccine rollout, so much of this is about trust in the efficacy of the vaccine, trust in our government, said Lee Coco, who is the director of marketing and communications at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance. She said someone like Rodrigo already has the trust of a large audience, and her promoting her trust in the vaccine could help others do the same. Mega-celebrities have used their platforms to promote vaccines in the past  Elvis Presley famously got his polio shot on The Ed Sullivan Show. Earlier this year, Dolly Parton received her COVID-19 vaccine in front of cameras and tweaked her hit Jolene into a pro-vaccine song.