The Voices Young Conservatives Are Listening to Online

By the time that former President Donald J. Trump joined TikTok in June, conservative content was flourishing on the social media platform, known for its grip on young people.

Mr. Trump’s TikTok account is part of an online conservative ecosystem characterized partly by videos, streams and messaging that rail against traditional institutions and promote a cultural ideology that pushes back on social movements supporting different gender identities and diversity, equity and inclusion. That environment has had an effect on many voters, particularly members of Generation Z, for whom Mr. Trump has been a consistent presence on presidential ballots since they became eligible to vote.

The appetite for conservative-leaning content online inspired CJ Pearson, 21 and a chairman of the Republican National Committee’s Youth Advisory Council, to develop a digital initiative called Influence America. It will involve a network of people popular on the right who will share Republican Party messaging on platforms like TikTok and Instagram before the 2024 election. He plans to introduce Influence America in August.

“People follow people,” said Mr. Pearson, a veteran of the youth-focused conservative platform PragerU. “They don’t follow organizations; they don’t follow parties.”

Historical voting patterns have shown that more young Americans are on the left or in the centerof the political spectrum. But some recent polls, including one released in July by The New York Times and Siena College, have shown Mr. Trump making inroads with registered voters under 30. Other polls have shown that trust in traditional media, which is low with voters of all ages, is exceptionally poor among young voters.

To better understand what is resonating with young conservatives online, The New York Times asked 30 people between the ages of 18 and 30, all of whom identify as right-leaning, about the content they consume and the accounts they follow on social media.