10 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN | FROM THE NEST CULTURE | ALUMNI ʼ18 TikTok Phenom Annie Wu Henry’s use of social media for John Fetterman’s U.S. Senate campaign has gained her national attention. The most viewed TikTok on U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s account is a 2022 video clip from his race against Dr. Mehmet Oz, who, at the time, was defending himself from criticisms that he was not from Pennsylvania. “I grew up just south of Philadelphia,” Oz says. The video cuts to a map of Philadelphia, then pans south to show New Jersey. A music mashup featuring Smash Mouth’s “All Star” plays, “Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me, I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed.” The post received nearly a half million “likes” and was viewed over 4 million times. It was the brainchild of Annie Wu Henry ’18, whose social media efforts for Fetterman’s successful Senate campaign have brought her national attention, leading to a 1,700word profile in The New York Times and a Q&A with Slate. Henry assisted the Fetterman campaign both online and off, but her most significant contributions came via TikTok, running an account that grew to more than 241,000 followers and produced videos that exceeded a total of 3.5 million likes. “Annie is a quintessential self-starter constantly working hard to make measurable impact,” said Matt Veto, journalism teaching assistant professor at Lehigh and faculty adviser of The Brown and White. “At the paper, she ran our social media accounts her senior year and basically tripled our Instagram following and engagement in mere months. Her professional success is a testament to her determination and skill.” Henry said she was hired by the Fetterman campaign because she “understood the online and digital space in a unique way.” Though given a large amount of freedom with TikTok, her task was challenging. For some projects, she said, she had to articulate her vision to colleagues who didn’t always understand how the specific social media medium worked. Those gathering the content, such as the video producers, had to trust her instincts. She also had to gauge the right time to post content for the widest audience. As much as Henry tried to plan, she had to be flexible. “With news clips and the nature of social media, it’s all about timing,” Henry said. While TikTok was her focus, she pitched in on other ideas, such as a “Let Them Eat Crudité” sticker in response to another video by Fetterman’s opponent. Above, in a photo posted on her Instagram account, Henry captures a moment during John Fetterman’s U.S. Senate campaign. MICHELLE GUSTAFSON
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