Social media is overflowing with information and discussion, with little regulation and fact-checking. How does this affect Norwegian politics, when more than half of the population uses social media to follow the news? Ipsos has measured the concern about this among Norwegians for the Norwegian Communications Authority. The survey shows that one in three Norwegians are worried that social media will influence the election campaign in the autumn. And among the young, the numbers are higher: almost half of those between 18 and 29 share the same concern. – Scary Sara Tønnesen (23) has not thought much about the fact that social media can have an influence on the election. – It’s a bit scary how much influence they actually have. Tønnesen herself admits to being easily influenced by what she sees and reads there. – I think that if I had seen a video on TikTok about the Red party being shut down, I would probably have believed it without further ado, she laughs. Like many Norwegians, Sara Tønnesen gets information and news via social media. But, traditional media also, she says: – I think I check VG every two hours. Colleague Madeleine Steffensen laughs and nods along. – It is so easy to believe what you see, for example on TikTok, because of the way they present things. – I think it is worse in the USA. The baristas are not alone in this. Many state in the same survey that they find it difficult to distinguish between what is real information and what is incorrect. Steffensen herself does not believe that her opinions about the election are influenced by social media. – I am quite sure of my political point of view, and am critical of information I see on social media. Despite being critical of social media’s influence on politics, none of them are particularly concerned about unwanted influence on this year’s election. – It just doesn’t feel like something that had happened in Norway, says Steffensen. Photo: Zahra Katrine Arnesen / news – But I think that many people, especially those who vacillate a bit politically, can be easily influenced by social media. I’m worried about that. Sara Tønnesen, on the other hand, believes that political influence via social media happens just as much now as before. – I think things may be worse in the USA, as you saw at the election there. – I am not too afraid that there will be any major influence on the election here in Norway. Like many Norwegians, Madeleine Steffensen uses social media often, but prefers to get her news from traditional media. Photo: Zahra Katrine Arnesen / news – It’s natural to be concerned Electoral researcher Johannes Bergh envisions that technology companies and social media may play a major role in politics in the future. – It is understandable that many people are worried about this, says Bergh. The researcher believes that the fact that many people daily use, among other things, Google, TikTok and Facebook to get information about politics can in itself be cause for concern. Like Steffensen, he points to the USA, where the one-sided use of the media has led to an increase in echo chambers, where you only hear one side of a political issue. Better media diversity But Bergh sees no particular reason to be worried about the election in the autumn. – Norwegians use the media in a different way, he says. – We are better at getting information from a variety of media, so such echo chambers are not as widespread here. Bergh also says that investigations have previously been carried out into whether there has been foreign or unwanted influence on politics in Norway. – And that has never happened before. We are also not aware of any examples of misinformation that have had an impact on Norwegian politics. Election researcher Johannes Bergh understands those who are concerned about the influence of large technology companies on elections and politics in Norway. – It is probably a challenge that we will see more and more of in the future. Photo: William Jobling / news Finally, Bergh wants to remind what the purpose of the election campaign is. – The voters must be influenced. We are influenced by what the politicians say and what we read in the traditional media. – It is the unwanted influence, with unfortunate consequences, that we would prefer to avoid.
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Concern among the people about influence before the autumn elections – news Culture and entertainment
