Content creators receive legitimacy for the first time at the DNC in Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) — For the first time, the DNC has accredited hundreds of social media content creators as organizers seek to appeal to diverse audiences.

But what did the producers of the show think when news cameras and seats for the delegates made way for something new?

“They're watching. People are watching and they're getting involved. And they're saying, 'We're proud of you,'” said Samantha Lampkin, a resident of Chicago's South Side.

Lampkin was selected as one of more than 200 content creators at the DNC.

“Some of these people have literally tens of thousands, if not millions, of followers,” said former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “You'd be crazy not to try to take advantage of that.”

Lightfoot walked the blue carpet with the creatives this week. She said the accreditation allows the DNC to learn what kind of audience each creative appeals to.

“You have to vet them. Right?” she said. “Because not everyone who has a microphone and an iPhone or whatever is necessarily working for good. But there are definitely ways you can see what their content is and whether it matches yours.”

For Nadya Okamoto, who has more than four million followers and whose account focuses on women's reproductive health, there is a clear connection between her content and the party's program.

“I had the opportunity to interview Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and I mean, I've looked up to her for a very long time,” Okamoto said. “She's actually the governor who signed the 'tampon tax' in Michigan.”

Each of the creators CBS News Chicago spoke with said they are seeing an increase in engagement and views on their social media platforms, which means more views for them and more viewers for the DNC.