2027 on social media: one campaign, three battles
Politique & Société
According to the “French and News Consumption” survey conducted in January 2026, 44% of people in France used social media as a daily source of news. Among 15–24-year-olds, the proportion increased to 66%. Less than a year before a pivotal presidential election, this statistic highlights a simple reality: the battle for public opinion is no longer fought solely in newspapers, morning radio programmes or political rallies. It is now being waged every day across digital platforms.
At first glance, this might seem like good news: it has never been easier to speak directly to the French public. In reality, however, it has never been harder for mainstream political parties to make themselves heard. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are governed by a relentless logic: content that provokes emotion, outrage, or shock is rewarded by the algorithm, while nuanced arguments and thoughtful debate are often pushed aside. This attention economy plays directly into the hands of populists, whose strategy is to simplify complex issues, provoke, and denounce without ever having to substantiate their claims. Does that mean mainstream parties should concede the digital space to them? Absolutely not. With the 2027 presidential election approaching, there is still time for them to reclaim social media—and to fight three crucial battles there.
The fight against disinformation
The first battle is for truth. In a TikTok video posted in May 2026, Jordan Bardella promised that, if elected, he would save “billions of euros by cutting wasteful public spending.” An odd lesson in fiscal discipline, given that only a few months earlier the National Rally had joined forces with La France Insoumise to vote for more than €33.5 billion in tax increases. A classic case of saying one thing and doing another.
Social media must not be left to simplistic promises, shifting figures, and catchy slogans. When traditional media lack the time or space to expose these inconsistencies, mainstream political leaders should make full use of digital platforms themselves: to lay contradictions bare, confront populist promises with their true cost, and highlight the flaws and trade-offs behind proposals that are too often presented as simple solutions.
A government’s record must be defended
The second battle is over the narrative. Here again, social media must not be left to populists and their distorted moralizing. Their strategy is well known: to discredit mainstream parties by turning a handful of failures into evidence of total collapse. Tweet after tweet, video after video, they would have those who have governed lower their heads, apologize for everything, and hand over the reins of the country. That would be a grave mistake. Whether during the financial crisis, the security crisis, or the pandemic, France has weathered each of these storms thanks to the strength of the state and to political leaders willing to make difficult and courageous decisions. There is no shame in talking about what has been achieved, defending what has worked, or highlighting the results that have been delivered. On the contrary, it is essential. By showcasing our successes, we rebuild public trust and demonstrate that democratic government can deliver, protect, and drive change.
That is what this battle over the narrative must be about: not only responding to the attacks of demagogues, but also asserting a governing record, standing behind it, and bringing it to life through formats that lend themselves to it, long-form videos, podcasts, online programmes, and platforms such as Twitch.
Restoring political education
The third and final battle is over meaning. A punchy line on immigration. A thirty-second video about taxes. An instant promise to boost purchasing power. Faced with this, mainstream political parties should not try to outdo those who thrive on noise. Their role is to restore meaning to public debate.
Social media do not inevitably reduce politics to outrage or sound bites. They can also serve deeper engagement: a ten-minute video explaining a reform, a podcast unpacking a budgetary decision, or a live online programme answering citizens’ questions on education, security, healthcare, or immigration. In short, politics must become educational again.
Explaining policy is not patronising – as populists have long sought to convince people it is. Quite the opposite. Where populists infantilise the public by pretending that every problem has a simple solution, mainstream parties should treat citizens as adults. Why is a reform necessary? What will it cost? Whom will it protect? What sacrifices will it require? These are the questions that deserve clear and direct answers.
Three battles, then: truth, narrative, and meaning. None of them can be won by copying the methods of those who flourish through outrage, caricature, and the constant pursuit of emotion. Mainstream parties will not persuade voters by turning every debate into a confrontation or by responding to oversimplification with more oversimplification. They will persuade only if they can make social media what they ought to be: another tool for serving the public.
That is the essential difference. The goal is not to use digital platforms simply to promote a candidate, cultivate an image, or dominate the conversation. It is to use them to tell the truth, defend an honest governing record, explain necessary choices, and enable citizens to understand both the stakes of the election and the policies on offer. Under those conditions, social media can once again become an asset to democracy. Otherwise, others will continue to dominate the space with their falsehoods, their simplistic narratives, and their story of national decline.