Reform UK Supporters See Fewest Personal Posts on Social Media, Study Finds
A comprehensive new study from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has revealed that Reform UK voters are the least likely demographic to encounter posts from friends and family within their social media feeds. The research indicates that only 13% of Reform UK supporters see content from people they actually know, compared to 23% of Green party voters.
Algorithms Driving Isolation and Division
The thinktank's analysis of user feeds across Instagram, Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok suggests that platform algorithms are actively fuelling social isolation and political division. Dr Sofia Ropek-Hewson, a senior research fellow at IPPR, emphasised the concerning implications: "It's really interesting that people with different political views have different algorithms to the extent that they see quite a different amount of personal content."
The research methodology involved a representative UK survey of 1,000 participants who were asked to categorise the top four posts appearing in their most frequently used social media feed. The findings revealed that just 18% of these prominent posts originated from someone the user actually knew personally.
Commercial Priorities Override Social Connection
According to the study, 35% of top posts came from influencers, public figures or algorithmically recommended content, while advertisements and brands accounted for 29%. The researchers identified a clear pattern where "sticky" design elements - features engineered to prolong user engagement - are being systematically prioritised over genuine social connection.
"We need to be thinking more about what commercial algorithms are feeding different political groups," Dr Ropek-Hewson cautioned. "So many of these platforms look increasingly like TikTok, which doesn't actually describe itself as a social media platform. We don't see what anyone else sees, and that makes it harder to build common cultures and to challenge people."
TikTok-Style Content Dominates Across Platforms
The report highlights how short-form video content, popularised by TikTok, now dominates user experiences across all major social media applications. This format particularly benefits influencers and celebrities, whose content receives preferential algorithmic promotion because users typically spend longer watching their material and demonstrate higher propensity for financial engagement.
"Despite these platforms all mutating to look more like TikTok, I don't think we have to be stuck thinking that social media means one thing," Dr Ropek-Hewson reflected. "There was a lot of optimism in the early 2000s about what social media could mean and what our online social lives would look like and I think we can develop better platforms with better values underpinning them."
Calls for Regulatory Intervention and Public Service Alternative
The IPPR report proposes several policy interventions to address these concerning trends:
- Development of a public service social media platform led by the BBC and European public service broadcasters
- Amendment of the Online Safety Act to specifically tackle "manipulative algorithmic design"
- Strengthened regulatory powers over platform architecture and design decisions
- Requirements for platforms to promote public interest content from charities, community groups and public bodies
"People don't want boring feeds or purely civic or informational spaces," Dr Ropek-Hewson acknowledged. "People like engaging, entertainment-based content, but I think that people do want a bit more control over what they see."
Government Response and Future Directions
The UK government has already committed to addressing addictive features on social media platforms, including scrolling mechanisms and "streaks" that encourage daily app usage. The Prime Minister recently indicated willingness to take action preventing children from developing social media dependency at young ages.
The IPPR researchers argue that because social media companies possess clear commercial incentives to maximise time spent on their platforms, developing a transparent, privacy-focused public service alternative represents a crucial step toward restoring the "social" element to social media that appears increasingly eroded by algorithmic curation.
