Earlier this week, I (unfortunately) stumbled across a video from ITV News of Prime Minister Keir Starmer doing the â6 7â trend with school children. If you know what that means, Iâm sorry. Moments like these say everything there is to say about politics in 2025, though: our elected leaders now perform for the algorithm as much as for the electorate. In this political era, relevance is measured not just at the ballot box but in how politicians mobilise social media to market their digital presence. Inspired by growing social media, influencer culture, and brainrot humour, politicians have been pushed into a new role- part public servant, part content creator. Their participation online is no longer optional; itâs a strategic requirement, a form of political currency, and increasingly, a test of whether they can speak to a generation raised on short-form videos and weakened attention spans. Welcome to the era where politicians are brands, campaigns are marketing exercises and the line between leadership and influencing has never been thinner. If done right, the tactical interplay of serious agendas and unserious trends can be an extremely effective political tool. If done wrong- underestimating the electorate or appearing tone deaf- it can be detrimental. This is the quintessential guide to being chronically online, through the eyes of our leadersâŠ
For a politician, the mobilisation of social media can have many benefits. Their content can appeal to disillusioned groups and youth, it can make manifesto promises more accessible to a wider audience, and it can become a place where politicians can reach the electorate and appeal to their voters on a personal level. Significantly, it signposts the transition from traditional policy-based leadership to personality-based leadership. It can be extremely unfavourable for politicians not to have a social media presence in this modern technological climate. Notably favoured by our leaders has been TikTok. For those politicians who have accepted the rise of TikTok with open arms, the app has provided an instrument for them to connect with âone of the most elusive demographicsâ: Gen Z, the newly enfranchised youth. In talks with the Guardian, MP Luke Evans, the sixth most followed UK politician on TikTok, stressed the importance of politicians having platforms:
âYouâve got to be where the electorate are,â Evans relayed. âThis is one of the biggest apps that is used across the country and across the world. I think itâs right to be there, to be talking to people⊠And from a party political point of view, if youâre crowded out and youâre not speaking to people, that space will get filled.âÂ
In a study by the regulator Ofcom, findings indicated that Instagram is the most popular news source amongst teenagers, followed by TikTok and then YouTube. TikTok has seen the largest increase in use of any news source between 2020 and 2022 â from 0.8 million UK adults in 2020 (1%), increasing to 3.9 million UK adults in 2022 (7%). Currently, 11% of adults in the UK use the platform as a news source. Only 10% of Conservative MPs utilise TikTok, according to a recent Guardian research, compared with over 25% of their Labour counterparts. In 2023, Rishi Sunakâs administration banned TikTok on government devices because of fears about how the platformâs Chinese owners would treat user data. In comparison, those on the populist right and left are far more active on the platform. For instance, Nigel Farage has 1.3 million followers. Jeremy Corbyn has 223,000, while Zarah Sultana, co-leader of the newly formed Your Party, has nearly 480,000.
Being a politician today means mastering the peculiar art of selling yourself, just like any other influencer, only with much higher stakes.
Success Story: Zohran Mamdani
Now elected Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdaniâs campaign trail has showcased a clear mastery of targeted social media output, fostering digital connections and creating a sense of community amongst his electorate. His content targeted many groups. He posted videos speaking in Arabic, Bangla, Urdu-Hindu, Spanish and more, acknowledging the cityâs linguistic diversity and making immigrant committees feel seen. With over 800 languages spoken in the area, New York is one of the world’s most linguistically varied cities. Approximately 35% percent of its citizens are foreign-born. Mamdani recognised that voters who relocated to the American city had not abandoned their native tongues. They utilised them to make sense of work, community and politics. He demonstrated that their opinions were important in determining the direction of the city by addressing them in those languages. Mamdani used social media to connect with people who shared his culture, reinvesting disengaged communities with a figure who could represent them. He faced racist backlash when he posted a video eating biryani with his hands, as is traditionally done in South Asian culture. Congressman Brandon Gill responded to the video on X, saying, âCivilised people in America donât eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World.â Ironically, the criticism clarified Mamdani’s approach: he was able to re-engage disengaged groups in local politics by doing precisely what some opponents ridiculed. Mamdani spoke the language of the New York City electorate, both literally and figuratively, and this came through authentically in his social media campaign.Â
The Limits of Digital Politics
Within this political practice of social media lies the risk of politicians damaging their image and credibility. Appearing to focus more on trend chasing than actually delivering important information through their content can prove detrimental to winning over the electorate. Furthermore, the youth-targeted approach also carries its own dilemmas. Focusing on youth may encourage political participation, of course, but it seemingly neglects the demographic factor of age in voting behaviour. Young people are statistically less likely to engage with democratic processes. According to the UK Parliament website, since 1997, the UK general election turnout rate for those aged 65 years and over has consistently been at least 20% higher than for those aged 18-24 years. This creates ageing democracies as the politically active section of the electorate gets older. Over-targeting Gen Z risks neglecting the true electoral base. Appealing to only one select base is a problematic strategy, and this leads us to the hamartia of the Democrats’ media campaign for the Kamala Harris administration. Harrisâ content appealed to an audience that was already on her side rather than trying to bring in new supporters. It focused on a younger audience who would understand trending references- leaving a massive gap with older voters, as the media campaign leaned into trends on TikTok during the time of the election, such as the âBRATâ movement, which influenced a huge amount of the Harris media branding. This was shallow and meaningless- it conveyed nothing about her political views or plans as president and made no sense to the average middle-aged American. Harrisâ media team learnt the hard way that you cannot win over the average American voter with a social media campaign majorly based on memes and trends. Another issue with social media content during the 2024 election race was the oversaturation of celebrity endorsements. The overreliance on influencers and famous supporters creates noise, not necessarily votes and atmosphere, where politics becomes treated more like pop culture marketing.Â
Ultimately, politicians need to embrace becoming hybrid figures. Since social media is now how most people consume knowledge, politics cannot risk falling behind. The politicians who survive 2025 will be the ones who can speak both in policy paragraphs and in TikTok trends. Like it or not, politics now lives on the For You Page and the electorate is watching.