Izzy Hewlett is about to start her first year at University. She has been active in local politics for several years and has seen what campaigns and political communications look like from the inside.

Like many other teenagers and young adults around the country, social media is something I have grown up with and engage with on a daily basis. Many people I know use these platforms as their main way of connecting with friends, learning about news and events as well as consuming content that helps inform their political ideas and beliefs. Which is why communicating effectively and understanding how young people use social media is very important for politicians, as each platform has its own style of communication and audience, with young people using different platforms for different purposes. 

TikTok 

TikTok is one of the most widely used platforms amongst young people and is probably where I encounter the most grass roots political content. A lot of  the content I consume comes from members of the public educating others and discussing their own personal beliefs in think pieces, instead of videos from official accounts. In addition much of the content I come across about specific politicians comes from a community of young and enthusiastic political editors who create short videos of current or past political figures with trending sounds and popular editing styles. Some of these videos can attract hundreds of thousands of views as they are created by young people who understand the platform and how to communicate effectively to their peers. 

In comparison, I find that when I do come across videos posted by official political accounts many videos can feel awkward and disconnected from the audience they are trying to reach. For me, poor editing and slow pacing cause viewers to lose interest very quickly, as even small details in a video like the ‘millennial pause’ can show that the creator is not familiar with the platform. Because we now live in an attention economy, people are used to highly engaging content. I have observed that this means many people will just scroll away if their attention has not been caught in the first few seconds. Unfortunately, overly polished production videos are not always the answer. Simple handheld videos can feel more authentic and younger audiences are quick to recognise this as trust and a feeling of authenticity are strongly desired. The message here: adapting the style of a video based on the type of message you want to convey is vitally important 

(The millennial pause is a one-to-two-second silent hesitation at the start of a video before the person begins to speak that is now looked down on by GenZ creators who start talking instantly the microsecond recording begins, considering the pause dated or “cringe”. Yes, your editor had to look it up.)

Insta 

Unlike TikTok where personality can often drive engagement, Instagram is more presentation and aesthetics driven where quality matters a lot more. I find that I interact with the least amount of original political content as created specifically for the platform. Instagram instead often feels like a place where content from other platforms is just reposted and regurgitated, such as highlights or clips instead of the content being specifically designed 

Personally, I find that I am more likely to engage with political content on Insta if it is presented as a carousel of well designed infographics and images, as it allows information to be presented in clear digestible sections that can be read at my own pace. For me, Instagram is less about fast paced breaking news and is more about visual communication with success coming from higher production videos and graphics with clear and consistent messaging but videos are still important for sharing information that cannot be condensed into graphics. Stories can also be a good way to share quick updates and link to the main post.

Overall, high quality and consistent branding is the way to build an audience on Instagram, as it can help build recognition and trust so overall it’s a good platform to reinforce political messaging rather than sharing breaking news.

YouTube

I use YouTube when I want longer form content and to understand an issue in more depth whereas other platforms focus on short fast paced content. YouTube allows for much longer discussions with deeper analysis, with lots of the material I watch coming from independent documentary makers or podcasts, as they often cover topics that are not always represented by the mainstream media. The recent growth in podcast popularity allows conversations between politicians and journalists, providing an opportunity to face and respond to criticism while also expanding on complex policies. This allows for productive interviews where people can explain their beliefs rather than aiming for quick sound bites 

While not every young person watches specific political content, when they do they are often looking for genuine conversations that showcase personality and connect to the audience. I think politicians should try out these non traditional interview formats as YouTube plays an important role for many young people in developing political understanding, and the site offers a different way for politicians to engage with them.

X (formerly Twitter)

I encounter the widest range of political beliefs and debates on X. It’s the place I first go to when major news breaks, as journalists and members of the public react in real time with debates and discussions developing rapidly, allowing updates and perspectives in minutes. However I approach the platform with caution. I find X contains a significant amount of engagement farmers and bots, which distorts political debates and reality through spreading hate and misinformation, making certain opinions seem more popular than they actually are. So as a result, I don’t take each post or comment at face value and instead also look for more reliable sources of information, as political conversations on X are often intense and can give a false impression that certain topics are more popular than they actually

But at the same time, the fact that it does allow direct communication I think is also a strength. allowing officials to respond to questions and discussions shows them to seem more approachable and relatable. So while X does have its challenges, it can still be seen as an important platform enabling immediate reactions to news and engaging with journalists and the public, which means they can contribute to national conversations.

Izzy Hewlett. August 2026.