During the UK’s recent general election, Reform UK took the social media world by storm, outperforming established parties like Labour and the Conservatives in online engagement. According to Sky News, Reform generated nearly three times more social media interactions than Labour; an impressive feat for a party with much more limited resources.

However, Reform’s success likely stems from more than just its campaign strategy — it reflects both the effectiveness of its campaign strategy and the structural characteristics of these platforms. Social media algorithms favour bold and dramatic rhetoric with more emotive messaging. Nigel Farage uses this very language when describing politics as a “political circus” or immigration as an “invasion.” This, combined with Reform’s self-branding as a political disruptor, gives the party an advantageous position. Indeed, Reform itself has named social media as being key to its success.

Social media’s growing influence is reshaping how political campaigns engage voters. As of January 2024, the UK had 56.2 million active social media users while there has been falling viewership of the so-called legacy media. Ofcom reported that the UK TV viewership proportion dropped from 83% of the UK population in 2021 to 79% in 2022 while print media is experiencing a decline in circulation across a number of major outlets.

Although TV media remains popular with older voters, the trend suggests that social media platforms are no longer a supplement to traditional campaigning but are now becoming the battleground; they are likely to play an increasingly important role in shaping electoral outcomes. Centrists can no longer afford to dismiss the importance of social media, as exemplified by David Cameron’s 2015 remark that “Britain and Twitter are not the same thing.”

Centrist parties should not lose hope; indeed, UK centrist parties took some positive steps during the election campaign. By crafting campaigns that are authentic, community-driven and more resilient to misinformation, centrists can effectively counterbalance social media platforms’ algorithmic bias towards populist viewpoints.

First, centrist parties should make their campaigns more authentic and fun. Short-form videos helped Reform energise its base and build ties with many younger voters. Social media thrives on raw and relatable content: examples from Reform’s campaign include videos of Farage drinking at a pub and Farage boxing.

This highlights an opportunity for centrist parties to reimagine their approach. The traditional formality often associated with the centrist parties makes them appear less engaging on social media. Yet, when they challenge their candidates to appear more personable, they improve their online presence.

Despite its loss in last November’s US presidential election, the Harris-Walz campaign’s best momentum was built on social media by humanising their candidate. As Kyle Chayka noted in the New Yorker, this campaign strategy engaged otherwise disengaged more voters through light-hearted content. The campaign later transitioned to policy content while maintaining high viewership, albeit to little success.

Labour’s social media election campaign likewise boosted its support, particularly on TikTok, by using memes to attack Conservative candidates and policies. An example of Labour’s success includes its Cilla Black meme mocking the proposed Conservative national service policy, which got over five million views. Light-hearted content, when used effectively, can pave the way for substantive policy messaging as just two days later a simple slideshow of policy deliverables gained over three million views.

However, Labour appears to have been less successful in using its light-hearted content to humanise Sir Keir Starmer. A far contrast to the personable Farage, Starmer’s more formal presentation and low likability, according to YouGov polling, presented Labour with challenges connecting with its social media audience.

While Labour’s content landed well on TikTok, it has been less successful on its other social media platforms. This could be partly due to the content sometimes appearing over-staged – as it probably was – and trivialising serious events, creating an impression of insensitivity. A recent example is Labour’s use of a Brazilian rap song about assaulting girls over a TikTok video concerning policing.

The Conservatives faced different challenges. Their campaign had a heavy focus on close-up videos of senior cabinet ministers, such as James Cleverly, David Cameron and Rishi Sunak, attempting to appear personable. These videos often lacked the energy and entertainment needed to break through the noise of social media, indicated by the Conservative’s modest follower growth of 0.08% over the election campaign. Therefore, both major parties have significant room for improvement in crafting more engaging and effective social media content.

Another way that centrist parties could achieve a more successful online presence is through further development and promotion of online grassroots movements: namely digital ambassador schemes.

For instance, the Conservative Party’s scheme offered online training on skills such as editing, creating Facebook groups and building surveys, alongside digital rewards to encourage the sharing of content. The Conservatives even claim that the content from their Share2Win app has reached “30 million local people.” However, much of the communication within the scheme lacks clarity regarding the role and responsibilities of a digital ambassador. Conservatives should have a more proactive and structured approach to digital grassroot organising with better coordination between ambassadors.

Centrist parties in the UK could further strengthen their own digital ambassador programs by utilising them to help call out politically motivated misinformation on social media platforms. Misinformation poses challenges for all parties, but is especially problematic for centrists. Efforts to combat misinformation should align with broader strategies such as media literacy education, regulatory measures and counter-disinformation initiatives. These programs should have a greater focus on training ambassadors to correct inaccuracies online in a calm, factual manner while avoiding unproductive arguments or trolling. Tackling misinformation must become an essential part of any centrist party’s strategy to counter the growing influence of populism online.

The success of Reform on social media exemplifies a broader political shift in communications. This indicates the need for centrist parties to adapt and harness the potential of social media to influence voters. By embracing authenticity, building communities and better addressing misinformation, centrist parties stand a good chance of success.

Francis Lee is a Member of Bright Blue.