5MM CULTURE SHIFT - HAVE POLITICIANS BECOME TOO PERSONAL OR IS IT A GOOD THING_

It’s voting season, and as I’m going through manifestos and educating myself on who’s saying what, I started thinking… politicians really aren’t politicians the way they used to be. Back then, you saw them on the news, in Parliament, at political rallies or giving formal speeches. Now, politicians have Instagram, TikTok and X accounts where we see their families, their homes, their outfits, their holidays, their personalities and sometimes even the most ordinary parts of their everyday lives. Social media has made politicians more accessible than ever — but has it also blurred the line between the person and the public official? Maybe seeing more of their lives helps us understand who we’re voting for. Or maybe it makes politics too personal, where popularity and personality can become just as important as policies and performance.