Gen Z keeps up with 2024 election on TikTok, Twitch, X, Instagram

Her experiences reflect how the youngest generation of voters today has grown up in a new era of unconventional media outlets with a wide variety of perspectives, social media algorithms that often prioritize the most attention-grabbing and rage-inducing content, and influencers who help set the agenda. Ahead of the Nov. 5 election, the Globe surveyed more than 150 local Gen Z residents — born between 1997 and 2012 — and interviewed two dozen young voters about how they stay informed.

Virtually none said they read a print newspaper; instead, they cited the influencers, infographics, and memes that cloud their TikTok, Instagram, and other feeds, sources they acknowledged were often biased but also the norm in a world where anyone can post online. In a year when the presidential election is expected to be won on a razor-thin margin, the 41 million eligible Gen Z voters — which studies suggest are more politically active than previous generations at the same age — could make a major difference.

Bristol, who works as a tour guide and grocery clerk, is among more than 100 million people worldwide who regularly use Twitch, a platform popularized by influencers who streamed themselves playing popular video games. But the site has also become home to political personalities such as Piker, who analyze news during marathon livestreams that can last 10 or more hours.

“I like Twitch because you can just kind of turn it on whenever, and somebody’s on,” Bristol said, adding she watches it when she feels lonely.

The 24-7 availability sounds a lot like the cable news channels Bristol grew up with. “My dad would always have MSNBC on,” she said. But, Twitch also has a live chat feature that creates a community Bristol said she hasn’t had since college, especially during high-profile news events.

“There’s something very comforting in understanding that people, who you assume are in a pretty similar situation or have similar opinions, are also watching it,” Bristol said. “You’re all in it together.”

Bristol appreciates Piker’s energy, bluntness, and casual approach. For example, when President Biden began speaking during the first debate, Piker’s first comment was: “Oh he sounds like [expletive].”

Bristol said she opted to watch the debate on Twitch to be among like-minded people, similar to attending a watch party. But instead of gathering at a restaurant or event hall, Bristol joined the 40,000 other viewers from her living room.

While Bristol also reads The New York Times and other outlets, she’s aware that she gravitates toward left-leaning media and wants to try to diversify her news.

“I don’t like sort of getting locked into a tunnel,” she said.

Ethan Bridges, 26, only moved to Boston last month, so he likes to get local news from GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.” He also prefers to follow national news from podcasts such as NPR’s “Up First.” But for where he sees the most political content, it’s a no-brainer.

“Definitely TikTok. 100 percent,” Bridges said.

Bridges, who until recently served in the US Army and supports Vice President Kamala Harris, said a lot of the videos on the social media app pertain to the election. He’s also aware the app’s algorithm serves him posts it predicts he will agree with, which he finds both a little disconcerting and also effective because it keeps him scrolling.

Such posts include favorable ones about Harris, such as a montage that includes clips of her waxing poetic about Venn diagrams and laughingly telling her sister to learn “how to [expletive] cook,” with text that reads: “Times I have deeply related to Madam Vice President Kamala Harris.”

“This one made me laugh and smile,” he said. “It’s nice to see something positive and lighthearted in politics.”

Other popular posts that Bridges found entertaining included one after the presidential debate that spoofed Donald Trump’s false claims about Haitian immigrants eating residents’ pet dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio.

“They remix the whole, they’re eating dogs and cats, and whatever insanity happened in the last debate,” he said.

“The ‘eating the dog thing’ is such a horrible thing to say,” Bridges said, adding that Trump’s statements had “negative consequences that are tangible and real,” such as bomb threats levied at schools and municipal buildings.

But for him and other young people, memes are how they can process the grim headlines. While he also turns to other sources, such as NPR and The New York Times, he often uses TikTok during major events to “see what the general mood is.”

“It’s just our way to, I guess, cope with the nastiness,” Bridges said.

As chair of the Massachusetts College Republicans, James Markis, 23, is a political junkie and loves to follow the latest polls. To keep up, Markis turns first to X, formerly called Twitter.

“As a student, I can’t sit down and watch Fox News or CNN on a daily basis,” said Markis, who is pursuing a master’s degree in history at Boston College.

While he occasionally checks other sources, such as Politico and RealClearPolitics, he mostly stays on X. He also listens to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s podcast.

Markis said X and TikTok offer information that he can’t find in traditional media. For example, he enjoys the tweets of Steve Cortes, a former Trump adviser.

A recent tweet from Cortes referenced Harris’s comments about reparations for slavery; she said the matter “has to be studied.” Cortes wrote that reparations would take “money from Hispanic, Asian, & white citizens to give to black Americans, for crimes committed before we were even born” and that “it polls terribly.”

For Markis, the tweet was an example of something mainstream media won’t talk about, which is why, he says, “nobody trusts them anymore.”

Markis also said he recognizes that algorithms on X and TikTok serve him posts from a conservative standpoint that align with his beliefs. He also occasionally sees posts from the Harris campaign and other left-leaning accounts, which he likes to watch even if he disagrees with them.

But he said traditional outlets are too biased without disclosing so — which is why he enjoys social media.

“I don’t like to read things that anger me,” Markis said.

As a Boston University journalism student, Bella Gonzalez, 22, keeps up with traditional news outlets, such as the Globe, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, to make sure she’s getting reliable information. But she can’t avoid social media and what its algorithms push her toward.

One of the top accounts Gonzalez sees on Instagram is Impact, a left-leaning and Gen Z-focused media company, which has been posting about registering to vote, which she appreciates.

On TikTok, Gonzalez enjoys watching videos from independent news personalities such as Marcus DiPaola.

DiPaola is popular for his roughly 60-second posts in which he speaks slowly in an explanatory, approachable style. Gonzalez enjoyed a recent DiPaola video about different election prediction data.

“He not only spoke about the data and projections for the outcome of the race, but also screen-shared the maps he was referencing,” Gonzalez said.

But while Gonzalez appreciates being informed, the endless chatter can become overwhelming at times.

That has been especially true in October, with news about hurricanes and the election overwhelming her TikTok feed.

“Sometimes I just want to go on there to relax and be entertained,” she said. “I feel like it definitely could contribute to my day-to-day stress — all I’m seeing is natural disasters and general unrest in the world.”

So she often takes time to nap, read, hang with friends, and generally unplug. Even those who grew up with cellphones sometimes need a break from them.

Aidan Ryan can be reached at aidan.ryan@globe.com. Follow him @aidanfitzryan.