2025 marks a pivotal moment in Australian political and media history: the nation’s first truly social media-driven election.

For the first time, Millennials and Gen Z voters outnumber Baby Boomers, prompting a major shift in how politicians engage with the public. Campaigning is no longer confined to press conferences or nightly news bulletins. Today’s political messaging is being delivered via Tiktok, Instagram Reels, and podcasts – amplified by influencers, memes, and algorithms.

Recent insights from Meltwater’s 2025Election Centre reveal the scale of this transformation. Political conversation, particularly around cost-of-living pressures and energy policy, have exploded across social media, with engagement levels now outpacing those of traditional media. But it’s not just the volume of content that has changed – it’s the shift in who shapes it.

Influencers like Abbie Chatfield and Ozzy Man are now at the centre of the conversation, often reaching audiences that legacy media cannot. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s viral “delulu with no solulu” moment (a response to a podcast dare) exemplifies this trend: political credibility now travels through creator culture.

Anthony Albanese on Abbie Chatfield’s podcast.

Adding to the complexity, major social platforms like Meta and X have rolled back their internal fact-checking policies, relying more heavily on community notes, potentially opening the floodgates to political content with minimal internal oversight.

In this environment, disinformation is more rampant than ever, influencing elections, distorting public discourse, and undermining consumer trust. As political ad spending surges in the lead-up to the Australian election, misinformation will........

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