Influencers at the Élysée Palace, elected officials on YouTube and TikTok: social media is becoming increasingly essential for political figures

Invited to cabinet meetings or as hosts on the set of their online shows, content creators have become essential in the communication of political figures.

From YouTubers to the Élysée Palace, politicians on TikTok and Instagram... In recent years, candidates and elected officials have taken to social media and are no longer hesitant to engage in Q&A sessions with influencers. But recently, it's no longer just a matter of PR stunts: elected officials are now relying on content creators to provide civic education and reach citizens who are far removed from the political world.

In a rare occurrence during a report on the latest Council of Ministers meeting, government spokesperson Sophie Primas mentioned the presence of an influencer on July 16. Léa Passion, with 35,000 followers on Instagram, garnered thousands of views for her videos on the workings of French political institutions, ranging from tips for working in politics to, on that day, behind-the-scenes footage of the Council of Ministers.

The influencer explains that " as a creator of content on public and political life, it mattered to me and especially to my community - who had already asked me - to know how a Council of Ministers works ." Léa Passion specifies that, " as with all my content, I don't deal with the subjects, I deal with the mechanisms. I believe that there are enough people who will talk and take up ideological subjects. My angle is that one, it's the one I chose and it's what suits me for the moment. "

The young woman insists: it was she who approached the Élysée. She was not paid and refuses to hear talk of a PR operation in favor of the government. Although she can "understand that someone might say that." In this case, " I refer the person to content that has nothing to do with the government ," she explains. " I'm not here for them, I'm here for the people who really need to understand what's going on behind all these meetings, all these negotiations ."

The practice isn't new. As early as 2020, Gabriel Attal, then a government spokesperson, answered questions from subscribers of Tibo In Shape, a content creator on bodybuilding.

And for the past few months, elected officials have been appearing in the kitsch setting of YouTuber Sam Zirah , known for his interviews with reality TV stars. But also politicians: Yaël Braun-Pivet , Julien Odoul , Rimah Hassan and Sandrine Rousseau . The Green MP for Paris never hesitates to respond to influencers' invitations for several reasons: " To reach out to more people, people who are not used to it or are not political activists in the strict sense ." To "give a different image too. The influencer is not going to look for you on the votes you have made, on such and such statements. In general, they have a rather offbeat vision. "

Sandrine Rousseau says that " when Sam Zirah asks me if my hair is political, it's a question I've never been asked, and yet it's actually a very important question. Because obviously, the injunctions on the bodies of female politicians are a topic. "

But in the comments on these political contents, influencers often face criticism from some of their followers, who are sometimes destabilized by this content.