• by Colin Kirkland , June 28, 2024

After signing a bill to ban TikTok in the U.S., President Biden and his administration have announced that the White House will host the first “White House Creator Economy Conference” in August, according to a VidCon presentation given by Director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy Christian Tom.

According to Tom, the conference will invite a group of high-profile social media personalities and industry professionals to talk with senior White House officials about data privacy, artificial intelligence, as well as fair pay and mental health awareness in the creator economy.

“The inaugural White House Creator Economy Conference will emphasize the Administration's commitment to creators, and reinforce the economic and cultural value they represent,” Tom told TechCrunch, adding that the Office of Digital Strategy is prioritizing working with digital creators, especially in regards to how they can help inform policy decisions.

The conference, which will take place over the course of a day, with main-stage discussions and smaller breakout sessions, builds off previous initiatives and interactions between social media influencers and the Biden administration.

In 2021, Biden's administration worked alongside influencers to help persuade people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, then, the following year, briefed 30 top TikTok stars on the war in Ukraine after millions turned to the short-form video app to gain insight on the developing conflict with Russia.

Biden also flirted with the idea of designating a White House press briefing room to a hoard of social media influencers, including some with large TikTok followings, in an attempt to reach younger voters in the upcoming presidential election.

Per the proposed initiative, the Office of Digital Strategy was to connect with influencers across the nation to target social-media users not yet following the official accounts for the White House or Democratic Party.

“We're trying to reach young people,” White House deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon told Axios back in April 2023.

And despite its efforts to ban TikTok – one of the most popular social media platforms among younger voters in the U.S. -- the Biden administration is still using the app as part of its reelection campaign.