How do political influencers reshape electoral dynamics, public discourse, and voter mobilization in hybrid media systems? Mikola (2026) introduces a Frontiers in Political Science Research Topic that investigates how digital content creators leverage perceived authenticity, emotional proximity, and algorithmic visibility to bridge institutional politics and online youth culture.
Operating along a spectrum that spans dedicated political commentators to lifestyle influencers who occasionally engage in public debates, these actors function as critical agenda-setters and intermediaries. Unlike traditional political figures, influencers rely on parasocial relationships and sustained audience interaction to cultivate trust, shaping political identities and emotional orientations among younger and traditionally disengaged citizens. The volume synthesizes empirical studies examining these mechanisms across various electoral contexts. Madsen explores how mediated intimacy and parasocial mourning can transform personal grief and anger into collective mobilization around political figures. A comparative study across Austria, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Serbia by Munzir et al. demonstrates that following dedicated political influencers correlates positively with youth political efficacy and active civic participation, whereas sporadic engagement has weaker effects.
At the cognitive and institutional levels, the collected contributions reveal how influencer communication interacts with electoral decision-making and campaign infrastructure. Kartini et al. find that voters in Indonesia frequently rely on heuristic, emotionally charged shortcuts—the primary communicative currency of social media creators—rather than deliberative evaluation. In Ecuador, Suing highlights how influencer ecosystems intersect with artificial intelligence and disinformation, raising profound challenges for democratic legitimacy. Furthermore, Mikola demonstrates the structural institutionalization of influencers through an analysis of Hungary’s 2022 elections, where the governing party Fidesz integrated pro-government creators into its apparatus and deployed heavy advertising spending to blanket digital spaces. In Italy, De Sio et al. use a mixed-methods design to trace how generational differences in media consumption amplify the persuasive power of creator-driven political messaging.
The editorial concludes that scholarship must pivot toward examining organic reach, engagement metrics, and algorithmic visibility. This imperative is particularly urgent within the European Union following platform restrictions and the phase-out of paid political advertising on major networks such as Meta and Google. As formal advertising channels narrow, political campaigns are increasingly incentivized to channel resources into less-regulated organic influencer partnerships, raising urgent questions regarding campaign transparency, accountability, and the boundaries between personal expression and political communication.
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Mikola, B. (2026). Editorial: The role of political influencers in electoral campaigns. Frontiers in Political Science, 8, 1861803. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2026.1861803