Influential people and community leaders have always been involved in political persuasion. However, the widespread deployment of social media content creators as a campaign tactic has only solidified in American politics in the last few years. The 2024 presidential election, when hundreds of social media influencers were invited to the Democratic and Republican National Convention, marked that turning point.
Content creators — individuals who leverage their social media visibility for financial or social gain— provide information, entertainment, and community to their audiences, who view them as trusted and authentic messengers. Political organizations increasingly recognize the value that influencers offer when it comes to reaching prospective voters. Now, many are trying to harness that power to disseminate information, mobilize voters, promote candidates, and leverage computational propaganda.
The Political Influencer Industry Map, along with this accompanying report, pulls back the curtain on a multimillion dollar industry that the public is only supposed to see a sliver of. With the Map, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and the Communication Technology Research Lab (CTRL) at the University of Pittsburgh visualize the infrastructure behind political influencer content, identifying the various people, institutions, relationships, incentives, and technologies that put political influence into action. The written report serves to dive deeper into the dynamics documented by the Map. CDT and CTRL drew on years of research and over 30 interviews with influencers, intermediaries, tech companies, political professionals, and other industry actors throughout 2026 to produce this research.
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