Social media fueled Mamdani’s rise. Will he be able to continue his momentum as mayor?

Jump into the frigid waters of Coney Island in January for a pun on “I’m freezing…your rent.” Visit food trucks to discuss how the city’s permitting processes led to “Halallflation.” Travel across Manhattan to show New Yorkers that they “deserve a mayor they can see, they can hear, and even shout about.”

These social media videos helped propel Zohran Mamdani and his left-wing politics to a surprise victory in the New York mayoral primary and then to victory in the November election.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist engaged New Yorkers – particularly young voters who spend much of their time “doom scrolling” – by using social media to build an image of an authentic, joyful person, experts told the BBC.

Now, after being sworn in as mayor on January 1, his next challenge will be to keep those same supporters engaged and the momentum going to power.

After becoming the first New York mayor to take the oath of office with his hand on a Quran, Mamdani told the thousands gathered to watch his inauguration ceremony in freezing weather that he would represent everyone in the city.

“I am not alone. I stand with you,” he said, adding: “I promise you this: If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor.”

About three-quarters of New York voters under 30 voted for Mamdani, according to an Associated Press poll.

Mamdani’s strong social media strategy mobilized those voters by giving them an image as a political candidate that young people — frustrated with older, more established candidates — coveted, said Jane Hall, a communications professor at American University who studies politics and media.

A candidate doesn’t have to be young to connect with young voters, Hall said, “but I think you have to be seen as being authentic and talking about what people care about in a hip way and making people want to jump on the bandwagon.”

Jack Bratich, a journalism professor at Rutgers University who studies political culture and social media, said Mamdani showed he was able to combine levity with serious conversations.

That sense of fun contrasts with some of the negativity that President Donald Trump has relied on on social media, Jennifer Stromer-Galley, who teaches communications, political science and rhetoric at Syracuse University, told the BBC.

Despite a surprisingly friendly first meeting In November, between the two politicians, where they said they agree on a number of issues facing New York City, such as the affordability crisis, the two men faced off in the mayor’s race.

Trump described Mamdani as a “crazy” extremist, threatened to deny federal funding to the city if Mamdani won, and said he would have him arrested if he obstructed immigration enforcement.

On election night, Mamdani retorted in his victory speech, telling the president “to reach every one of us, you will have to reach through all of us.”

The comment drew loud cheers from his supporters at the time, but experts say the reality of governing could involve engaging with the Trump administration in a pragmatic way. That warm November meeting may have been an early sign of Mamdani’s willingness to do so.

How he works with the White House — and what kind of relationship he has with the president — could prove crucial to implementing his agenda.

While it may be easy to promise “rapid, radical change” in campaign videos, things become much more difficult when it comes to “governing under a hostile administration,” said Ioana Literat, a communications professor at Columbia University who studies young people’s political socialization online.

“If his [social media] “The content doesn’t honestly address these constraints, the same young people who made it go viral can just as quickly turn that energy into disillusionment or backlash,” she said.

To succeed in office, Mamdani will need to keep his supporters engaged in day-to-day governance — and that’s not as exciting as a high-stakes political race, Jonathan Nagler, co-director of NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics, told the BBC.

“It’s easy to mobilize people to oppose Trump. They already disagree with Trump on many issues, if we’re talking about New York voters,” Nagler said.

“What’s a lot harder to do is go on social media and say, ‘Hey, the New York City Council is bothering me.’ I need you to get upset about convincing the New York City Council to do something.”

Nagler added that it might be difficult to educate some of those voters about how city government works.

“Like all election campaigns, the transition to media governance is tricky,” said Rutgers Professor Bratich.

One strategy to maintain his campaign’s momentum could be to turn his captive social media followers into active organizers on the ground. After all, social media “was the gateway to a large grassroots operation and a corps of young volunteers” for the mayor-elect, Braitch said.

Mamdani’s messages during the campaign consistently steered his supporters toward demonstrations, demonstrations, registration drives, and other forms of active participation – ultimately producing more than 100,000 volunteers.

“But if his administration stumbles and feeds continue to promise more than he can deliver, it could reinforce the feeling among young voters that ‘even the Internet mayor can’t change anything,'” Literat said.

“This broader reputational risk is part of what makes social media of its time so important,” she added.

Mamdani’s transition team did not respond to a BBC request for comment.

But there is at least one major sign that the popular dynamic around Mamdani will continue.

In November, his allies announced the creation of a new advocacy group that aims to use its large number of volunteers to raise money for its program. The nonprofit Our Time for an Affordable NYC was founded by Mamdani volunteers and members of the Democratic Socialists of New York.

Although Our Time is legally separate from Mamdani and his transition team, the group says it is focused on promoting the mayor-elect’s affordability agenda by “knocking on doors, phone banking, communicating and organizing at the neighborhood, city and state level.”

Mamdani’s inauguration ceremony took place Thursday inside the original City Hall subway station, which is now abandoned to regular transit.

“It truly is the honor and privilege of a lifetime,” he said. “I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow as we begin our term.”