The "TikTok Prime Minister"

A wide gap still separates the way politicians in our region use social media from the way it is used in the West. Here, social platforms remain largely confined to official statements, government initiatives, and carefully produced videos of conferences and political events. Elsewhere, however, politicians have evolved into content creators, using social media to share their ideas, decisions, ambitions, and even their daily interactions with the public.

Just one week after assuming office as the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Andy Burnham flooded social media with live and short-form videos in which he engaged directly with ordinary citizens in the streets, pubs, and on public transport. I tried to keep up with everything he posted, but it proved impossible. Internet algorithms made him an inescapable presence on my feed.

One video shows him jogging through the streets of London. Another features him driving a public bus while announcing lower transportation fares. In a different clip, he speaks with patrons inside a British pub, pledging tax cuts for hospitality businesses. A third video, titled "Ask Andy Anything," sees him answering questions on homelessness, social welfare, electricity and gas bills, and other everyday concerns.

This spontaneous style allows him to reach audiences who may never have known him before, helping him build an image as a leader who is approachable and connected to ordinary people. He communicates with citizens directly, without relying on newspapers, television, or official statements as intermediaries.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was among the first politicians to pioneer what many now describe as a social media revolution in politics. Platforms that were once primarily associated with personal communication and entertainment have become essential instruments of direct political engagement. Here, there is virtually no barrier between the policymaker and the public. Politicians appear as they are, without the protective filter of traditional media, allowing voters to judge for themselves whether they are authentic leaders or merely political spectacles.

New technologies and social media have fundamentally transformed the nature of politics. The old slogan, "Let us work quietly," no longer resonates. In today's digital age, if an achievement is not visible on social media, it is often perceived as though it never happened. Tangible accomplishments remain the concrete foundation of governance, but the smartphone screen has become the paint that determines whether the public sees that foundation as impressive or unattractive.

In his landmark 1967 book The Society of the Spectacle, French philosopher Guy Debord argued that life in modern societies is no longer experienced directly but through a continuous stream of images and mediated representations. Spectacle replaces reality itself. Ideologies and political or economic programs gradually lose their central place, while charisma, presentation, visual appeal, and emotional resonance become increasingly decisive. Today, politicians attempt to explain everything—from taxation and healthcare to education and housing—in thirty-second videos. Serious political thought and substantive debate have been compressed into short-form content designed for maximum visibility rather than meaningful discussion.

Yet people cannot live on videos, nor can they receive healthcare through politicians' TikTok tours. Ultimately, reality remains the only meaningful measure of political success.

Andy Burnham has already earned the nickname "The TikTok Prime Minister" because of his relentless presence on the platform. His online following has grown at an unprecedented pace, while Google searches for his name reportedly surged by 2,000 percent in a single day. For voters, however, such numbers are of limited importance. Their central question remains unchanged: Can he improve my ability to cope with the rising cost of living—or not?

Only the days ahead—not social media—will provide the answer.

Originally published in Al Masry Al Youm.