When Kamala Harris was confirmed as the new Democratic party nominee, a host of celebrities rushed to endorse her – but one has had significantly more attention than the others. Singer Charli XCX endorsed Harris in her signature minimalist way by posting “kamala IS brat” on X.

The post went viral almost instantly, with millions of views, and Harris’s own X account switching its colours to neon chartreuse – the shade of the album cover for Charli’s new album, Brat.

The internet thrives on novelty and inside jokes. That’s partly why memes – a fairly middle-aged phenomenon that first originated in the 1990s – are still going strong, while we’ve long seen the back of Bebo, Vine and Clubhouse (what are those, you ask? My point exactly).

The popularity of memes means they have become an important vehicle for political communication. In my research, I have identified four roles of memes: political mindbombs, fast-food media, everyday slang and a soothing device. Charli XCX’s endorsement of Kamala Harris is a perfect “political mindbomb”.

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