Kuala Lumpur, 9 December 2025: he Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) has released a report exploring the growing role of political influencers in Malaysia. The report: Political Influencers in Malaysia: Growth, Methods and Policy Implications contributes evidence to the ongoing conversation on intersections between technology, politics and democracy, with particular focus on how political messaging on social media is financed.

GE15 marked a turning point, where political messaging shifted from traditional opinion leaders to a fast-growing, commercially driven influencer economy. The study draws on the first-hand accounts of influencers, political actors, industry intermediaries and experts, offering a rare glimpse into the opaque ecosystem behind political influence on social media. It explores different motivations of political influencers, how they are financed, their operations, and key policy implications for transparency and institutional trust in the rapidly evolving landscape of political communications on social media platforms.

Some of the key findings of the report include:

• With the rise of social media, influencers play an increasingly central role in the dissemination of political messages in Malaysia, supplanting traditional opinion leaders. As modern political opinion shapers, influencers shape democratic debate.
• Political influencers are seldom independent operators but part of a commercial industry populated by intermediaries such as influencer agencies and talent managers that work alongside traditional public relations and communication firms. Intermediaries organise campaigns, negotiate contracts, and manage content production, keeping influencers and political operatives at arms’ length.
• Influencers as content creators face dual pressures: of financiers who commission content and social media algorithms that reward perceived authenticity and sensationalism over accuracy.
• Funding flows and their influence on content are mostly hidden, in the absence of adequate disclosure rules and political financing regulation.

“The report shows a growing pivot by government and political party machinery toward the use of influencers in disseminating information, with money moving invisibly and leaving the public to decipher what is authentic and what is disingenuous,” said Sabrina Firdaus Aloysius, co-author of the report and Senior Executive of Research at IDEAS.

Dr Ross Tapsell, also co-author of the report, added, “The influencer economy is a growing form of media buy and increasingly used for political campaigning, but very little is known about their financial models and payment is rarely declared. Transparency and accountability are crucial to Malaysia’s democratic reforms. Citizens deserve to know who is paying for content that shapes their political choices," he said.

The report aims to spark a policy conversation around political financing and social media influence, and what the potential role of government policy should be to ensure political influencer activity supports a healthy democracy in Malaysia. Policies should seek to improve:

• Transparency: there is a need for clear requirements to disclose where political actors fund and coordinate political influencers activities. The enactment of a Political Financing Act could help track and regulate these flows.
• Accountability: where political influencers act as de facto commentators or journalists, they should be held to the editorial standards and ethical guidelines that govern other media voices. Influencers who produce political content, political actors that pay for it, and the platforms whose algorithms shape content should all be more accountable.
• Citizen participation: digital literacy alone is not a panacea, but community-led engagements that inform citizens of the need to fact-check online information and the people and payments behind it could be beneficial.

“IDEAS has long called for a Political Financing Act with clear and enforceable rules on public disclosure of party funding and a strong regulatory framework for private and public donations. In today’s digital media landscape, transparency is essential to safeguard public trust, protect democratic integrity, and ensure any content that may sway public opinion is held accountable,” said Aira Azhari, IDEAS CEO.

For more information, download the report on our website.

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For enquiries, please contact:
Ryan Panicker
Assistant Manager, Advocacy and Events
T: 03 – 2070 8881/8882 | E: ryannesh@ideas.org.my