Australians are following politicians on social media in increasing numbers because of dissatisfaction with mainstream media coverage of politics – but politicians are largely preaching to the converted when they self-publish on the web.



A new annual digital news media report from the University of Canberra indicates that 65% of people following politicians on social media are motivated by concerns about the accuracy and fairness of political coverage.

But the data also suggests people are self-selecting their partisan sources, and sticking to one side of politics, rather than consuming material from a range of politicians.

“It … suggests that politicians are largely preaching to the converted via their social media feeds,” the report says.

“Given the majority of those who follow say their friends also share the same political outlook, it is unlikely that politicians and parties are reaching far beyond their base of supporters.”

The research indicates the number of Australians following politicians on social media sites is growing. In 2016 13% of respondents to the study said they followed politicians and parties on social media. In 2017 the number grew to 20%.

The period of growth coincided with significant political events, including an Australian federal election, a US presidential election and the Brexit debate in the UK.

The majority of people following politicians online follow parties and politicians from the left and the centre.

The research suggests the people most likely to follow politicians and their parties online are men aged between 25 and 34, with left leanings, who are university-educated, on middle incomes and have the same political views as their friends.

It also indicates that left-leaning political parties are more effective at reaching younger supporters than parties from the centre and the right.

The research says 21% of those surveyed by YouGov said they followed politics on social media because they preferred to hear directly without a traditional media filter, while 20% nominated a partisan interest.

Nineteen per cent said social media provided more information than the traditional news media; 24% said the media didn’t report their politician or party of interest fairly, or they ignored them.

The study notes that Australian politicians have become more inclined to make announcements or communicate with audiences via social media, stepping around the filters.

It nominates Pauline Hanson as a particular example, and notes that Malcolm Turnbull has started to broadcast major announcements, like the government’s changes to 457 visas, on Facebook, rather than through a media conference or interview.

The research says direct publishing is only a concern if it leads to consumers spurning other forms of information, politics becoming an echo chamber or politicians ducking proper scrutiny.

“If dissatisfaction with the way the news media covers politics increases, it could lead to fewer people accessing political journalism that offers more than one perspective, which might be cause for concern,” it says.

“In a time of shrinking newsrooms, the ability for politicians to bypass the scrutiny of the press gallery only makes things harder for the traditional gatekeepers to hold power to account.

“It also makes it more difficult for consumers to discern party political content from other news.”