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Cuomo's campaign disassociates from the right-wing 'meme creator'

Memes allegedly being crafted for Andrew Cuomo by a meme artist, yet his campaign denies any affiliation with the individual.

,   and  ASMedia
2 min read
Campaign of Cuomo distances itself from conservative 'meme creator'
Campaign of Cuomo distances itself from conservative 'meme creator'

Cuomo's campaign disassociates from the right-wing 'meme creator'

Jason Levin, the founder of Memelord Technologies, has made headlines recently for his unconventional collaboration with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Levin's company specialises in harnessing the power of memes for marketing purposes, treating them as efficient units of attention and political influence in the digital economy [1].

Levin, a meme creator and online provocateur, became publicly associated with Cuomo's social media presence after one of his creations was reposted on Cuomo’s official X (formerly Twitter) page. The two even met on Monday evening to discuss a marketing strategy and Levin's plan to "save NYC with memes alone" [2]. However, Cuomo's spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, has clarified that Levin is not paid by Cuomo's campaign [3].

Despite the clarification, Levin's online presence has raised some eyebrows. His feed is filled with "trolly" and "shitpost" memes common in right-wing spaces online. Some of his posts, such as a photo of Trump in a kippah captioned to provoke liberal audiences, have caused controversy [3].

Moreover, at least two replies from Cuomo to Levin have been deleted, including one to Levin's "save the west" post, which some critics have highlighted as a racist dog whistle among far-right extremists [4]. Azzopardi, however, disputes any suggestion of a strategic partnership between Levin and Cuomo's team, stating that the campaign's online strategy has been to engage with lots of people, and any replies from Cuomo's account to accounts connected to Levin were just a coincidence [3].

The meme posted by Levin, which accumulated nearly 7 million views as of Tuesday afternoon, was not problematic according to Azzopardi [3]. However, the incident has sparked speculation about Levin's potential involvement with Cuomo's social media game, with some observers, including journalist Matt Binder, questioning this possibility [5].

The New York Times reported that Daniel Liss, the former head of a social media startup, is managing Cuomo's social media [6]. Despite the controversy surrounding Levin, his collaboration with Cuomo represents a new type of professional "memelord" who treats memes as both cultural and commercial tools, playing significant roles in political and marketing communications [1][2][3].

However, critics of Levin and Cuomo have also highlighted misogynistic and pro-Trump posts that Levin previously made [7]. As the partnership between Levin and Cuomo continues, it remains to be seen how this unconventional collaboration will impact the digital landscape of political communications.

References:

  1. Memelord Technologies
  2. The Verge
  3. The Hill
  4. Hell Gate
  5. Matt Binder on Twitter
  6. The New York Times
  7. The Daily Beast

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