In 2024 more people are online than ever before, with 64% of the global population active on social media. It’s therefore no surprise that social media has become the most successful channel for marketers in the UK. As digital users such as Gen Z become more influential spenders, and Millennials continue to hold the highest amount of disposable income, we naturally see corporate and consumer business prioritising social media in a bid to capture the attention of this powerful digital-first demographic.

Digital prioritisation has played out across an array of industries but, most notably, in the political sphere. This shift has led to the rapid evolution of various social media platforms, from X to TikTok, as spaces for political discourse. This evolution presents a plethora of new questions and challenges for businesses interacting in this space.

Political Impact on misinformation

A social-first election

Political parties have spent more money than ever before creating snappy, social-first content, with the aim of engaging younger voters. A prime example is Kamala Harris, who spent $113 million on Meta advertising alone during her 15 week campaign, and $4.5 million on talent to fuel her iconic TikTok account.

Challenges

As a result of TikTok’s growing political slant, audiences are increasingly exposed to misleading political content, including falsified AI-generated clips. Examples from the UK include fake videos of ex conservative leader Rishi Sunak making claims about how he is spending public money. Similar deceptive content went viral on the platform during the US election campaign, with phots falsely depicting Taylor Swift endorsing Donald Trump. It’s becoming more difficult than ever for users to distinguish reality from AI.

Beyond TikTok, X is another platform at the heart of the political storm. X has historically been the target of public scrutiny thanks to reductions in security measures, leading to the spread of misinformation in right-wing politics. This misinformation is aggravated by owner, Elon Musk, sharing politically fuelled posts claiming “civil war is inevitable”. X’s lack of moderation and safety measures has led many high-profile users to quit the platform altogether.

Looking Ahead

Users are active on more platforms than ever and, thanks to the rise of interest-based algorithms, they’re discovering new content every day. Wherever users go, misinformation is bound to follow, so, to influence meaningful change across the social media landscape, businesses need to understand the risk of misinformation and have measures in place to protect their brand and consumers from deepfake culture.

Politics and Algorithms

The Echo Chamber effect

We all know that social media algorithms are hyper-personalised. On TikTok we are fed new content based on what we interact with, helping TikTok fuel higher platform engagements and dwell time. However, this year, there’s been reports of X feeds being created by the platform owners with the sole purpose of pushing a political agenda. As part of this, Musk is accused of swaying votes for multiple elections across the globe, including the UKs general election – giving us an insight into the power of algorithms and the dangers of being trapped in an constant echo chamber.

On a positive note, TikTok algorithms have effectively helped to unlock echo chambers by bringing important issues to the surface. TikTok helped thousands of people, internationally, see the parliamentary debate over the revision of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand halted by politicians performing a traditional haka. The video went viral, raising questions as to where indigenous communities fall into social-first politics. Breaking down echo chambers helps social media users expand their perspectives and feel connected to new communities.

Challenges

To avoid X’s echo chamber, many users have opted to switch to alternative platforms. X has experienced a clear decline, most evident in the UK, with a drop in users from 8m to 5.6m, and in the US, with users falling by a fifth. X users are looking at competitor platforms like Meta Threads and BlueSky, to broaden the variety of content they are exposed to, or alternatively to Rumble.

Though many users have headed to alternative platforms, it still raises the question – is the echo chamber effect present on alternative platforms too, and is the algorithm at risk of blurring the lines between personal views and popular content?

Looking Ahead

Platforms need to allow a range of diverse perspectives in users’ feeds so that audiences can make informed decisions when it comes to politics – and other fields. When the algorithms prioritise less prevalent voices, it increases the chances of users uncovering untouched communities. Brands and spokespeople can help tackle the issues of echo chambers by having a presence across multiple social platforms, thereby helping to diversify multiple platform feeds, and giving more users a chance to experience new content.

Politics and Partnerships

The Rise of Political Influencers

The impact of content creators and influencers on politics has reached unprecedented heights, especially within the digital sphere. Numerous elections have taken place this year and many are the first to occur since TikTok has been established. In fact, a study found that 26% of UK social media creators and 39% of US creators have been approached by political organisations to create content for elections.

The recent US election showcases just how integral influencers have become in the political agenda. Most notable examples of political collabs were seen during the US elections. On the left we saw Kamala Harris on “Call her Daddy” – a mainstream, consumer-based podcast. On the right, Donald Trump formed a partnership with Jake Paul, a YouTuber, with a huge young male fanbase. We also see the impact at a European level with  Jordan Bardella, President of the National Front, showcasing just how useful his TikTok following of 1.7m was in the recent French elections.

Challenges:

When it comes to politics, trust is vital, , with 58% of people stating they ‘almost never trust politicians’ in Britain. Politicians have therefore leveraged influencers on digital platforms to retain and foster connections with audiences who are stereotypically hard to reach – from Gen Z users to niche sub-audiences who steer away from traditional media. In fact, more than two in five UK voters (43%) welcome creators posting political content – whether paid or organic – and this preference rises

Influencers are increasingly seen as more trustworthy than traditional politicians, particularly among younger audiences, due to their perceived authenticity – but, how much can a user actually trust them?

Looking ahead:

We need to be cautious of how influencer politics engages young voters. There are already concerns about the oversimplification of complex issues and the potential for misinformation so, with the increasing authority of influencers, brands and government authorities can help by sourcing influencers mindfully and with voters’ welfare in mind.