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- A majority of social-media users feel neutral to negative about influencers wading into politics.
- Most creators still plan to talk politics this election, per a report from the influencer firm Izea.
- Creators are weighing their political influence against the pitfalls of offending some followers.
As the 2024 presidential election heats up, some influencers are flocking to party conventions or chiming in about politics on TikTok and Instagram.
That could be a risk, however. According to a new survey from the influencer-marketing firm Izea, 35% of US adult social-media users felt neutral about influencers sharing political opinions online, while 22% felt either somewhat or strongly negative about it. And 56% of respondents said they'd unfollowed a creator based on their political views.
Staying out of the political race might be the smartest move for a content creator's career, but influencers surveyed by Izea seemed prepared to do the opposite.
In fact, 82% of influencer respondents said they planned to share their political views this election cycle. Beyond that, 79% said they aimed to participate in political events or rallies, and 76% had plans to support the presidential campaigns financially.
For its report, Izea surveyed around 2,200 US adults who said they used social media; 875 of the respondents identified as influencers.
So, why are creators determined to enter the political discourse this year despite it possibly cutting into their popularity?
First, creators think they can actually impact this year's results. A whopping 92% of influencers who responded to Izea's survey believed they could influence their followers' opinions on political topics.
They could be right.
Social media was the main platform that 18- to 60-year-olds said they planned to tune into to stay informed about political developments this election year, per Izea's report. News websites came in second as an information source for that age group.
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become increasingly popular news sources among young Americans, with nearly half of 18- to 29-year-olds saying they use TikTok to keep up with politics or political issues, per a March survey from the Pew Research Center.
The presidential campaigns have taken note, vetting thousands of creators to serve as political surrogates online and at in-person events. This election, the parties are working with a wider swath of influencers who don't normally talk politics but may help them reach a strategic demographic.
"The reality is today we mostly consume media from our phones, and people get news from creators more than traditional media," Josh Helfgott, an LGBTQ+ advocate and creator with around 5.5 million TikTok followers who attended last week's Democratic National Convention, told Business Insider. The political campaigns are catching up to that, he said.
The second reason influencers may be willing to risk losing followers by sharing their political takes online is that they are expected to.
While the majority of social-media users feel either neutral or negative about creators sharing their political views online, about half of respondents to Izea's survey said they believed influencers had a responsibility to use their platforms for political advocacy.
Creators are essentially forced to decide between offending some fans with their political views or angering others by not advocating for topics they care about. Perhaps that's why 62% of influencers told Izea they plan to address potential backlash from sharing their political views head-on.