The upcoming elections are introducing voters to a radically new democratic landscape. Elections are no longer only about who wins or loses. Increasingly, the more important question is how voters’ expectations are formed and who shapes them.
By 2026, technology has become deeply embedded in democratic processes worldwide. Tools that were once considered dangerous or unethical are now routinely used as instruments to mobilize votes. Elections have shifted from contests of ideology to contests of algorithms.
One of the earliest warnings came nearly a decade ago with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. During Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, a data analytics firm accessed personal information from millions of Facebook users without consent. While the initial figure stood at 50 million users, Facebook later admitted that data from nearly 87 million accounts had been affected.
Using this data, software was developed to influence users based on their personal interests and psychological profiles. Despite global criticism, similar strategies became common in subsequent elections. Gradually, electoral competition moved away from public debate toward invisible, data-driven persuasion.
The Rise of the “Invisible Campaign”
The 2016 US election and the Brexit referendum marked the testing ground for a new form of political warfare. Investigations by The Guardian and The New York Times exposed the use of psychographic micro-targeting, a technique that allows campaigns to influence voters individually rather than collectively.
Social media platforms such as Facebook were used to collect data on users’ habits, fears, and preferences. Based on these insights, voters received highly personalized messages. Fear-prone individuals were targeted with ads related to crime or economic instability. This era became known as the age of “dark ads,” where only the advertiser and the targeted user could see the content, making public scrutiny nearly impossible.
Similar strategies were later observed across Europe. Populist movements in several countries benefited from heavy algorithmic amplification. In Ukraine’s 2019 presidential election, Volodymyr Zelensky’s campaign used social media algorithms, particularly Instagram, to run an “infotainment-style” campaign. Likes and follows were transformed into political engagement.
The Age of Algorithms
In the early 2020s, algorithmic influence intensified. Public trust in traditional media declined, while reliance on social media platforms for news increased. Algorithms on Facebook, X, and YouTube prioritized outrage, controversy, and emotional content to maximize user engagement.
This pushed voters into ideological bubbles, exposing them mainly to views similar to their own. The result was the rise of “echo chambers,” where tolerance for opposing views diminished sharply. During the 2020 US presidential election, this phenomenon contributed to extreme political polarization. Reports suggested that a significant portion of users were repeatedly exposed to misleading or false information.
At the same time, automated and AI-generated political content increased rapidly. This phenomenon, often referred to as “pink slime journalism,” blurred the line between legitimate news and manufactured propaganda.
After 2024: Elections in the Age of AI
The year 2024 became the busiest election year in history, with nearly half of the world’s population voting. Generative AI emerged as a central campaign tool.
In several Asian countries, AI was used to rebrand political candidates. According to The Guardian, in Indonesia a former military general was transformed into a “cute, grandfather-like” figure through AI-generated animations and TikTok dance trends. India’s 2024 general election was widely described as the country’s first “AI election.”
AI-generated videos and audio clips also began circulating widely, some of them unethical or inflammatory. In southern India, particularly Tamil Nadu, AI was used to recreate the voices and images of deceased political leaders. Former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa were digitally “revived” to deliver campaign messages, blurring the boundary between history and propaganda.
The Present Moment
By 2026, election campaigning is no longer just digital, it is increasingly artificial. Two forces dominate today’s political influence: agentic AI and influencer politics.
AI bots are now capable of holding human-like conversations on platforms such as WhatsApp and Discord. These bots actively participate in debates, spread misinformation, and shape public opinion, often without being detected.
According to the Reuters Digital News Report 2025, voters now trust YouTube and TikTok influencers more than television news. Politicians increasingly prefer interviews with friendly influencers rather than facing tough questions from journalists.
Nepal’s Context
Nepal is witnessing its first election where campaigning has shifted primarily from physical geography to social media. While social platforms were used in earlier elections, this time they have become the main battleground.
On TikTok, videos encouraging political hostility are going viral. In one widely shared clip, a child asks who someone will vote for, followed by a threat of violence if the “wrong” answer is given. Similar content, replicated across different settings and characters, is spreading rapidly.
The issue is not political preference, but the normalization of violence and mockery toward those with differing views. On Facebook as well, AI-generated videos targeting specific political groups are circulating widely. Even when presented as entertainment, such content often promotes intolerance and aggression.
Nepal is only now confronting a transformation the world began experiencing nearly a decade ago: the shift from physical political space to digital influence. When technology manipulates public judgment instead of reflecting public will, the foundations of democratic elections come under serious strain.
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