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Getting young people involved in social media is easy but getting them involved in politics might be a little more difficult. SiriusXM host Dylan Douglas is hoping to share his passion of politics with his Gen-Z comrades. “God willing [Gen-Z has] 60, 70, 80% of our life left to live, so we have the most stake in the future than anyone else,” Douglas said.
Before Douglas, who is the son of actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, took the microphone, he tried to keep his life private. The side many haven’t seen, until now, is how outspoken and passionate he is on politics. “I didn’t choose politics. Politics chose me,” he said.
For Douglas, and other members of Generation Z, their first memorable major political exposure was President Donald Trump. “We talk about him a lot,” Douglas said. “He’s been the face of a certain brand of politics that I think for so many of us is regardless of what side of the spectrum you’re on, we grew up realizing that we were in fundamentally unprecedented, unpredictable times politically in this country, globally, before we even understood politics, before we even understood the policy.”
With this in mind Douglas, in his early teens, started “phone banking and volunteering” for a friend’s Mayoral campaign in Ardsley, New York. While at Brown University, Douglas became the deputy campaign manager for Will Cunningham in his New Jersey primary in 2020. “This was a very grassroots effort in South Jersey and COVID was happening. So, the walls are closing in and so we moved the whole campaign online. I was working as the volunteer outreach coordinator. Then [me and two other Brown students] just pretty much started taking on more responsibility, until we pretty much managed the campaign. We were deputy campaign managers.”
After this experience Douglas said his new show, “felt like a natural sort of step and such a great opportunity to speak not only on the issues but speak to people that have such experiences that outweigh what my knowledge is.”
Young American with Dylan Douglas airs at 11 a.m. ET on Saturdays. Douglas is looking to encourage young voters to get involved (from more than just their phone) and underscores key issues facing this election cycle. “I’m focusing each week on sort of things I myself know very little about,” he said. “So, it’s educational not just for the viewer or the listener, but for myself. I like to take on topics that I want to know more on, do my own research, and then of course, get guests that have the answers. So, it’s been really rewarding in that way.”
Each week Douglas breaks down a major political topic. “The world could be on fire and I’m not going be talking about it,” he said. “I’m going to be talking about some broader theme, current to this society, which I think is often overlooked.”
He designed the show this way because he wants his show to be more than just another place to hold soundbites. “Every single issue, it’s all little soundbites and everything’s breaking news now. So, it’s hard to sort of sit back and have a big picture and a global understanding of, why are we here, what the hell is going on, what got us here and where we may be going.”
Douglas later noted, “Listeners can get [soundbites] literally everywhere, but maybe have them think a little bit about broader ideas, maybe learn something from my wonderful guests. Then after the fact, ask their own questions if it’s on Instagram or Twitter, and I’d be happy to answer it.”
Although his show airs on the SiriusXM Progress channel Douglas noted, “I’m open to all the guests” across the political spectrum.
Douglas also mentioned how his generation is politically active but less engaged. “What I mean by that is we’re posting online, we’re doing everything, we’re posting and we’re sending to the go fund me, we’re reposting infographics but it’s all in the cloud. It’s all out there in cyberspace. It’s not tangible person to person work.”
Douglas is hoping to change this with his show by connecting with listeners and taking questions through social media. “Social media is information,” he said. “That is where people get information. And you can see that in the campaigns of both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. [They] are actively sort of using social media, using influencers to court voters.”
The 2022 Brown graduate added, “The amount of people now that have the same sort of reach, the same sort of power as an American President did 150 years ago it’s very interesting. And there’s dangers in that, too, because people that may not know the facts, may not know the figures, want to spread disinformation, may have sinister intentions, prejudices, biases, can capitalize on that and spread a lot of junk around.”
As to why he feels his generation is so politically active online, “it’s hard to turn away from politics and us as a generation, we grew up in such a turbulent, unpredictable time that we all get kind of caught up in it.”
For those looking to follow in his footsteps, Douglas advises to follow your passion and “[If] you see something wrong in society. If you want to change it, that’s a passion. That’s a drive and that’s a wonderful thing. You can do that in any number of ways.”
He added, “In this world where it’s all screens, all computers in any sort of level, it’s hard to do person to person work. If it’s running a campaign or working on a campaign or running for president, or just focusing on any issue that you feel strongly about, if it’s on the national level, the state level in your local community, do it in a way that you can achieve your aims, but make real friends while doing it.”
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
