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Social media has caused politics to be more about vibes and entertainment and less about true facts. This past election campaign demonstrated the importance politicians find in promoting themselves through influencers. This factor represents the effects of Generation Z becoming a political demographic and the diminishing of traditional journalism.

For a little history lesson, post-WWII was the golden age of journalism where audiences relied on receiving nothing other than hard facts. However, as the mid-1970s arrived, so did the full-fledged popularity of late night talk shows and pop culture magazines.

The 70s represented a full shift, turning journalism into a form of entertainment. Even newspaper giant Rupert Murdoch—owner of Fox News, Wall Street Journal, and more—sees journalism as a form of entertainment.

Throughout this past election season we saw both presidential candidates seek to gain online traction. President Donald Trump sat down for a 3 hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris was featured on influencer Alex Cooper’s podcast. Both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions have welcomed influencers as guests in recent years.

An infographic from MediaMatters demonstrated the following in various political shows. Rogan totaled the most views with 39.9 million. Theo Von and Ben Shapiro followed right behind him. Notably, right-leaning names dominated the graphic. This could be an explanation for why President Trump has such a huge support from younger demographics.

In general, President Trump is an example of a major politician who has gained attention of the younger demographic through social media and podcast interviews. After all, X & Instagram owners Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are major supporters of President Trump.

In an interview with NPR, The New Yorker writer Andrew Marantz even said, “people don’t even necessarily vote for the politicians they like, they vote for the politician who they think likes them.”

Appearances on social media and podcasts also allows politicians to appear more candid. Podcasts have created a reputation for being candid which some might see as the opposite of traditional journalism. There is also the consideration that politicians are less likely to control the narrative through classic news sites. This is all depending on if the news site has a nonpartisan, liberal, or conservative bias.

Overall, politicians who leverage their voice within the social media and podcast world are more likely to gain support within the younger generation. While that is a positive, this has caused diminishment in popularity of popular journalism which explains why news publications are beginning to build more podcasts and post on various platforms.