Governing political content: platform governance and the blurred boundaries of political and commercial expression on social media

Annabell, Taylor ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6384-6754 and Goanta, Catalina 2026. Governing political content: platform governance and the blurred boundaries of political and commercial expression on social media. Frontiers in Communication 11 , 1756510. 10.3389/fcomm.2026.1756510

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Abstract

The use of social media platforms by politicians, political parties, governments, journalists, influencers and other users for political purposes is a staple part of contemporary society, particularly during election periods. Platform companies have the power to determine, through their private governance configuration, how political content is present, visible and monetized on social media platforms, limited only by mandatory law. This study examines how platforms conceptualize political expression, approach their role as mediator of political content and distribute responsibility for political content across a network of actors through an analysis of platform policies. Bringing together advertising, so-called organic content and the often-overlooked branded content, we adopt a broad perspective on what constitutes political content, paying attention to forms of monetization and user-groups. Our analysis of platform documentation from Instagram, Snap, TikTok and YouTube reveals a reliance on European political advertising regulation for defining political content and that the civic and societal implications of political content necessitate additional rules and requirements. Platforms position political expression in opposition to monetization, steering influencers away from this form of content production and strategically downplaying their responsibility in preventing the distribution of political content unless it presents significant harm.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Journalism, Media and Culture
Publisher:	Frontiers Media
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	12 August 2026
Last Modified:	12 Aug 2026 14:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188949

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