Social media is full of information and discussion, with little regulation and fact-checking.

How does this affect Norwegian politics, when more than half of the population uses social media to follow the news?

Ipsos measured the concern of Norwegians on this subject for the Norwegian Communications Authority.

The survey shows that one in three Norwegians fear that social media will influence the election campaign in the fall.

And among young people, the figures are higher: nearly half of 18-29 year olds share the same concern.

– Frightening

Sara Tønnesen (23) hasn’t given much thought to the fact that social media can influence the election.

– It’s a bit scary the influence they actually have.

Tønnesen herself admits to being easily influenced by what she sees and reads there.

– I think if I had seen a video on TikTok about the closure of the Red party, I probably would have believed it without further ado, she laughs.

Colleague Madeleine Steffensen laughs and nods.

– It’s so easy to believe what you see, for example on TikTok, because of the way they present things.

– I think things are worse in the US

Baristas are not alone in this. Many say in the same survey that they have trouble distinguishing between what is real information and what is incorrect.

Steffensen herself doesn’t believe her views on the election are influenced by social media.

– I am quite sure of my political point of view and critical of the information I see on social networks.

– But I think a lot of people, especially those who are a bit politically hesitant, can be easily influenced by social media. I am worried about this.

Sara Tønnesen, on the other hand, believes that political influence via social media happens just as much today as before. – I think things could be worse in the United States, as you saw in the elections there.

– I am not too afraid that there will be a major influence on the elections here in Norway.

– It’s natural to be worried

Election researcher Johannes Bergh envisions that tech companies and social media could play a major role in politics in the future.

“It’s understandable that a lot of people are worried about that,” Bergh said.

The researcher believes that the fact that many people daily use Google, TikTok and Facebook, among others, for political information may in itself be concerning.

Like Steffensen, he points to the United States, where one-sided use of the media has led to an increase in echo chambers, where only one side of a political issue is heard.

Best in Media Diversity

But Bergh sees no particular reason to worry about the election in the fall.

– Norwegians use the media in a different way, he says. – We’re better at getting information from a variety of media, so those echo chambers aren’t as prevalent here.

Bergh also says that investigations have already been carried out to determine whether there has been any foreign or unwanted influence on politics in Norway.

– And this has never happened before. We are also not aware of any instances of disinformation having an impact on Norwegian politics.

Finally, Bergh wants to remind you what the purpose of the election campaign is.

– Voters must be influenced. We are influenced by what politicians say and what we read in the mainstream media.

– It is the undesirable influence, with unfortunate consequences, that we would prefer to avoid.