With Gen Z and Millennials said to outnumber baby boomers and Gen X this federal election, an expert has warned young Australians’ are increasingly relying on influencer-led podcasts that blur the line between journalism and advocacy.
Rising political engagement across social media platforms is giving shape to a new media environment, where influencers are increasingly steering the conversation, according to Dr Chris Scanlon, associate professor at Deakin University in Melbourne.
However, he said the issues around influencers on TikTok and YouTube potentially misrepresenting issues were no different to the mainstream media doing the same.
“They haven’t necessarily been disengaged, but this is a new avenue for young people to be engaged,” Dr Scanlon said.
“If we can get there, I think it would be actually a good thing with more voices, more engagement [that] could be a good thing for politics generally.
“Whether that ultimately affects the election though, I think that’s the big question mark.”
We haven’t worked out the boundaries yet between politics and content creators and influencers, because some of them just are straight PR.
Key influencers like Abbie Chatfield and Hannah Ferguson have re-energising political interest, with Chatfield’s podcast It’s a Lot recording over 580,000 monthly listeners in March alone.
But, the growing role of content creators in political campaigning and online discourse has raised questions around transparency, influence and political persuasion.
“The capacity for them to push a particular line and be seen to be absolutely neutral is there,” said Dr Scanlon.
Chatfield, who recently appeared on SBS’s The Feed acknowledging her preference for the Greens, confronted Olympian turned podcaster Sam Fricker.
“If you’re going to commentate on politics I strongly believe you should tell us who you are voting for, unless you are a journalist, but you and I aren’t journalists, we are influencers,” Chatfield said in a recent TikTok video.
@abbiechatfield Replying to @Sam Fricker clear it up king bc it’s not looking good right now #clivepalmer #auspol #lnp #duttton
The issue of transparency expands beyond content creators and influencers according to Dr Scanlon.
“A lot of things that can be said about content creators and influencers and the dangers of them can be said and have been said about the news media as well,” he said.
“I think that it’s just more obvious because they are new and we haven’t worked out the boundaries yet between politics and content creators and influencers, because some of them just are straight PR.”
Dr Scanlon called for greater transparency across both new media and large media corporations.
“I think it’s absolutely important with content creators and influencers, but I also think you need to integrate and keep interrogating mainstream journalists,” he said.
“The AEC (Australian Electoral Commission) has a critical role to play in terms of really making it clear to content creators and influencers where the boundaries lie and what they have got to do in terms of if there is any benefit.”
Although regulations are in place by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Dr Scanlon said these may need to be “made clearer and more expansive”.
Recently, the AEC cleared Chatfield’s podcast of breaching electoral laws surrounding content labelling, after both the prime minister and Green’s leader Adam Bandt appeared on the podcast. The AEC’s authorisation statements for social media content is only required if the material is paid advertising or the material is communicated by or on behalf of a political entity.
@abbiechatfield @AlboMP joined me on @It’s A Lot . To listen now search “It’s A Lot with Abbie Chatfield” wherever you get your podcasts or go to the link in bio! #auspol #labor #greens #lnp
“I think we are entering that period for influencers and content creators, where there will be sort of this messy working through the boundaries and who is doing what,” said Dr Scanlon.
However, looking at the US election last November, influencer-led political engagement created significant buzz but did not necessarily translate to election-winning results.
“People got terribly excited when Kamala Harris went on Call Her Daddy, but while it created a lot of heat, it didn’t really translate into electoral success,” said Dr Scanlon
The episode, which made headlines for its unexpected crossover between politics and pop culture, symbolised the new frontier of campaigning but also exposed its limitations.
“It’s a reminder that just because political content goes viral, it doesn’t mean it shifts votes, reinforcing that the heightened political engagement on social media may not have a tangible political impact,” said Dr Scanlon.
Dr Scanlon noted the controversial influence of Joe Rogan’s podcast, which was “being seen as terribly important” during the election, especially by young male voters.
While the influence is evident, the impact is often confined by certain demographics with similar political views, according to Dr Scanlon.
“People get swept up on what they see on reels or TikTok and want to kind of say ‘that’s what I see’ and be in a kind of a filter bubble [where] you might be seeing the kind of content that reinforces your world view, rather than being exposed to the world view of the actual majority,” he added.
The filter bubble dynamic raises concerns that viral political content may simply echo what audiences already believe, rather than broaden their political understanding.
“I think people have to go to a range of sources, you can’t just go to influencers, because you are seeing what the algorithm wants you to see and I think the danger is with people getting a particular view of the world and not being open to other potentials,” Dr Scanlon said.
Main image compilation of TikToks from Abbie Chatfield, Sam Fricker and Hannah Ferguson.
