Canada Global(Web News)With just two weeks left until the federal election, it’s hard to open social media without seeing some kind of political content. New research from the University of Ottawa suggests that social media influencers can determine the fate of party campaigns, especially among young voters.
They conclude that influencers go beyond simple advertising in their ability to shape and interpret news and influence voter behavior.
While commonly thought of as just another type of advertiser, the report shows how influencers play a variety of political roles, such as advertisers, celebrity endorsers, campaign volunteers, data brokers, journalists and media outlets, and lobbyists,” a University of Ottawa press release states. “This array of roles makes political influence difficult to define, identify, and manage. Influencers can simultaneously reach new audiences as a force for increased democratic engagement while also being used in challenging ways, with few laws for data privacy, shaky editorial standards, avoiding political manipulation and spending limits, and few laws for transparency.”
Professor Elizabeth Dubois and co-author Louise Stahl led a team of researchers who analyzed notable global election campaigns from recent election races, including the United States, Germany, Nigeria, India, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
The authors define influencers as “online personalities who build a following and often create a sense of community through the frequent posting of content across one or more social media platforms.” Influencers are also known as content creators, streamers, YouTubers and TikTokers.
The researchers note that influencers provide a unique advantage to political parties because of their extraordinary relationships with their audiences, which can enhance authenticity and trust. They also provide broad reach, the ability to target audiences, and the ability to bypass traditional election advertising regulations.
During the 2024 U.S. election, the Democratic Party allocated nearly $2.5 million to agencies that work with influencers. These influencers were invited to events and some even had access to campaigning politicians to create content. The
influx of influencers presents both benefits and challenges for Canada’s upcoming election. With voter turnout up across the country, influencer content can help engage apathetic audiences. A 2020 survey by Elections Canada found that most Canadians believe that young people are not voting because they feel disconnected from, or lack information about, the political system. According to
the Digital News Report, 46 per cent of Canadians get at least some of their news from social media. That number only increases for young people. A Kaiser & Partners study found that 85 per cent of the time, Gen Z Canadians first look for news on social media.
Dubois and Stahl show that in the 2022 Brazilian elections, social media influencer Felipe Neto was successful in targeting people who were apathetic towards politics.
But on the other hand, the researchers note that unlike journalists or established media outlets, influencers can be puppets of individual parties. Influencers are also not held to the industrial tenet of truth that can drive the spread of misinformation and misinformation.
Overall, the research calls for increasing media literacy so that the public can recognize the difference between factual reporting and sponsored content.
