How social media influencers shape public opinion in SA

SOCIAL media was supposed to be a place where everyone could finally have a voice.

- LINDOKUHLE TONONO

For years, we heard that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok would open up public conversation. No more gatekeepers in newsrooms deciding whose views mattered, and no more barriers for ordinary people to be heard. That dream was exciting.

Imagine a digital square where the kid in Mthatha and the student in Bloemfontein could all debate big ideas as equals. A space where different experiences could meet without fear or favour. But if you spend any time online, you know it didn't really turn out that way. Instead of becoming a free marketplace of ideas, social media has evolved into a space where a small group of influencers and big accounts set the agenda.

These are the people who decide which opinions are “right,” which are “dangerous,” and which deserve to be ridiculed. The irony is that many of these influencers built their brands on the idea of challenging old power structures. They spoke up when mainstream media ignored certain issues. They fought for visibility and that work mattered and still does, but somewhere along the way, the line between calling out injustice and policing all disagreement got blurred.

Now, it sometimes feels like social media has simply replaced one set of gatekeepers with another. It happens repeatedly. A controversial issue breaks out, perhaps about a politically charged issue such as race, feminism, or the management of the economy, and within hours, the largest accounts with the most reach have declared which perspective is acceptable. Those who hold a different view quickly learn that it's safer to say nothing.

This isn't just about social disapproval. On platforms that thrive on engagement, any post that doesn't fit the popular narrative risks being buried by the algorithm or swarmed by abusive replies.