Isentia’s Russ Horell on social media, influencers and the future of journalism.
Gone are the days of media monitors delivering clients a package of newspaper cutouts each morning, but that doesn’t mean monitoring is no longer required.
Rather, it’s as important than ever clients have a pair of eyes on the news gaining attention across the expanding media landscape.
Russ Horell, Isentia’s New Zealand country manager, has been in the media monitoring world for 11 years and in that time has seen it go from a job of cutting out newspapers and faxing them through to clients, to broadening the view to cover websites and social media, and feeding all the media to clients via an app.
“It seems like a light year ago”, says Horell when thinking about how far news media has come since the morning newspaper was the news breaker, adding that while it can be daunting and tempting for clients to run and hide, it should rather be seen as an amazing opportunity to talk to customers, voters or whoever their audience might be.
“If anyone is not embracing social media then it’s time to jump on that bandwagon.”
And because social media happens in real time, unlike a newspaper going to the printer the night following the news, monitoring social media raises the importance of knowing what is happening in real time.
“If you are just looking at what happened yesterday, you’ve got your eye off the ball.”
Machine learning
In response to these changes, Isentia has jumped on a bandwagon to improve its offer to clients. It’s working with the machine learning aspect of AI to take a wider scope with its monitoring, looking beyond client’s specified search terms that they know they are interested in, in order to create a bigger picture.
“Growing up and watching Blade Runner and The Terminator, it seemed a bit grim. But we think of machine learning as something that can do those tedious tasks a lot better and quicker so we can do more creative things,” says Horell.
Giving Ford as an example, he says it can cluster stories relating to other automotive brands and industry topics as well as just stories about Ford and its people. It will also look at how important stories are based on how many people are looking at them and whether it’s controversial or positive feedback.
“No longer are clients saying: ‘I’m going tell you what I need to know and then you tell me when it happens’. It’s us saying: ‘Hey, there’s something that’s happening here, it’s getting bigger and you need to be across’.”
And not only can it see what is happening in real time, Horell adds AI is also allowing it to assess and predict the best strategy to moving forward by taking a look at what did and did not work, in past scenarios.
The rise of the influencers
In clustering stories and looking at all forms of media to see what’s earning attention, an unexpected outcome has been going down what Horell calls “the rabbit hole” of influencers.
He says they’ve been popping up alongside stories on the front pages of The New Zealand Herald and questions are being raised about the importance of their influence and monitoring of Instagram and influencers.
Looking at Asian markets as an example of why attention needs to be paid, he says those social influencers can have the same credibility as news media. Tech Wire Asia, elaborates on this point saying influencers are taking off due to Asia Pacific’s highly social populations.
However, the same article questions whether the influencer market bubble is bursting as the audience is becoming hardened to commercially-motivated posts. It suggests digital marketers revise their approach if their messages are not to get dismissed.
Looking closer to home at New Zealand and Australian markets, Horell says while influencers may not take off to the same level here as that in Asian markets, the same fundamentals apply and the early adopters who get it right have a big opportunity to be ahead of the curve.
“We think it’s here to stay and we can look to our Asian brothers and sisters to see what’s it’s going to look like here in few years’ time.”
Homing in on the media
And beyond the innovation taking place in Isentia to monitor media across all media in all places, it’s also looking at location-based monitoring and homing in on an area to see what’s going on there.
Horell gives the example of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, at which Isenta will be analysing and evaluating all media coverage received to up to and during games.
To do that, it’s created ring fencing around stadiums to see what people are talking about within the area. Whether it’s the queues or warm beer, the insights will enable it to identify key markets, customise messaging and track sentiment to ‘Share the Dream’ – the campaign line for the games.
When it was announced that Isentia was the official supplier to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games back in February last year, it was already able to show the mascot—a blue surfing Koala called Borobi—had generated more than 3000 news articles since April 2016.
From letters to comments
Referring back to the days of cutting out newspaper articles, another change in the media landscape is those with opinions to share no longer putting pen to paper in a letter to the editor.
Now, they can comment directly below a social post or a news story, and when Horell put it to clients to identify their most important social media platforms at a recent event, comment sections sat alongside Snapchat and Neighbourly.
“Comment sections give new life and legs to stories,” he explains, adding that it’s only if the website allows.
Some, like RNZ, have disabled comments as well-researched options would descend into a few people bickering among themselves.
“It’s fine for something to go off-topic but not wildly off-topic and frankly between that and moderating comments through Facebook, and we get vastly more comments on Facebook, we thought it better to focus on those areas,” said RNZ community engagement editor Megan Whelan when speaking to StopPress about the decision.
Thinking about the irrelevant and incorrect comments that comment sections can attract, Horell looks at the move to paywalls – pointing out NZME’s announcement earlier this year that it plans to put a one around its premium journalism – and how they may have an impact on the tone of comments.
He says suggestions have been made that the point of view of comments sections may become limited to those who chose to pay to get behind the paywall.
The future of journalism
In the same way Isentia has changed the way it’s monitoring the media for clients, Horell sees the way in which journalists search for stories changing—so much so the days of press releases may be limited.
“There are so many different avenues and ways to get your message out there,” he says, giving the examples of Facebook and Twitter. So rather than sending out a press release to break a story, he sees them needing a rethink to possibly be something that directs people back to a website.
And looking further into the future, Horell says Isentia us looking into how its products will be able to sit within Google Glass or a chip that might integrate news into people’s lives.
“If I’m going to an interview with you, my app will tell me all the news articles you have written over the last 20 days so I can keep up to date with what you are doing and it will show me your LinkedIn profile so I know you connect with people that I also connect with, so we’ll have things to talk about. On top of that, I’ll know on my way there that there will be roadworks.”
It’s an advancement that may have some quiver in fear, but Horell points out it should be seen as something that’s “more exciting than worrying”.
“Our lives will become more customised and things like AI will allow that.”
Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.
Who will win – journalists, influencers or something else?
Unlike the popular television program, it’s harder to distinguish the ‘voice’ that’s connecting with the most people or generating the most impact. It’s noisy, changing and diverging as new technology and behaviours’ continue to change at rapid pace.
The mixture of voices from traditional journalists and radio jockeys to social influencers and television personalities seems to have grown almost overnight. And while the growth of this noise isn’t new, it’s interesting to watch the overlap that’s happening already – and to question whether it’s one, or a combination of all that will win out in the end.
For those in Communications and Marketing, it’s intriguing to watch the disruption that this is having on the industry. The swell of activity for communicators and marketers to understand (at speed) the integrated approaches and the numerous voices that exist to help get their messages across is exciting to watch, as it also has the potential to be more dynamic.
While traditional journalists experience shifts in their mediums, their roles and core responsibilities have seemingly remained largely unchanged. However, for many social influencers there’s an interesting struggle occurring between creativity and business. Not only do you need to nail your content, you must also have a sound business knowledge to ensure you aren’t caught off guard by the algorithms at play and their potential to harm further growth.
We’ve seen countless examples of former TV stars turn radio jockeys – some more successful than others – but wouldn’t it be interesting to see the same with journalists turn influencer, or vice versa?
In the example shared by Bottle for Botol below, the argument could be made that this strikes a nice balance between both. Fulfilling the more traditional journalistic needs to find and present information, while leveraging social channels to distribute the message.
We may not know who will win yet, but it’s sure to be an interesting finale.
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Blog
The voice
Unlike the popular television program, it’s harder to distinguish the ‘voice’ that’s connecting with the most people or generating the most impact.
The Singapore general election was quick and felt like more of a touch-and-go event, but a lot was observed and could be learnt from media and audience reactions to the event.
We analysed, using Pulsar TRAC, more than 270k mentions across online news, podcasts, TV, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, X, forums and blogs in Singapore between March 28th - May 7th 2025, to see how the conversation was moving and being influenced by media and audiences. Based on this, we listed what we’ve learnt from this year’s election.
Which industries gained the most spotlight?
Chee Hong Tat’s defence of the GST hike shows the PAP leaning heavily on long-term fiscal planning. This was mainly covered by media outlets like the CNA, mentioning how these hikes were to eventually work on providing benefits to the seniors of society and that it wouldn’t be possible if these hikes weren’t in place. Audiences across X and Facebook expressed their concerns around this, but were equally appreciative of open dialogue with the public.
The US and UK covered the election when their media focus was majorly on Trump’s tariffs
The peak in the US mentions were partly a consequence of Trump’s trade tariffs that wasn’t received particularly well by the rest of the world. PM Wong expressed his opinions on how Singapore continues to be a partner to the US but would expect a fair tariff rate in return. Big foreign peaks were tracked by Reuters and The Guardian that framed the election poll as a barometer of regional politics. Many of the foreign media talk about the opposition parties in Singapore and express that a healthy opposition makes for important parliamentary debate on essential matters like rising living concerns and jobs in Singapore.
Social saw the most audience discourse
The Straits Times leads the election coverage with many of its articles being linked or reposted around social media, mostly Instagram, Facebook and Reddit with audiences giving timely updates on speeches, election street campaigning or their favourite candidates, intending to start conversation. CNA and Mothership show the same pattern, each pulling far larger numbers once clips hit Facebook, X, TikTok and Reddit.
Which hashtags saw the most engagement online?
#ge2025 sat far above every other tag, yet party tags #pap and #rp still drove thousands of mentions. On keywords, PM Lawrence Wong outranked party names with the most mentioned on social posts. It’s important to note that these mentions are by audiences on social media like TikTok, X, Reddit, Instagram and Facebook. Lately, even short clips from podcasts around elections are becoming viral, not just on Instagram or TikTok, but even on Facebook that generally hosts long-ish format videos, second to YouTube.
Podcasts become new medium for election content for younger audiences
Yah Lah BUT logged more than a hundred election clips, nearly double its nearest podcaster, The Daily Ketchup. Audio hosts mixed humour, policy, and hot‑takes that travelled into short‑form video. These podcasts have been a growing trend in Singapore, hosted by youngsters who often invite political candidates onto their shows and pose questions that a young Singaporean would like to ask their leaders. These podcasters have seen their content travel fast on TikTok and Instagram reels for quick insights, but still have most of their audience engagement on YouTube.
Singapore’s GE2025 didn’t just offer political drama—it showed how media, both old and new, shape what people see and feel. From viral videos to policy debates, from mainstream reports to TikTok podcast clips, every format played a role.
5 things we learnt from the Singapore general election 2025
The Singapore general election was quick and felt like more of a touch-and-go event, but a lot was observed and could be learnt from media and audience reactions to the event. We analysed, using Pulsar TRAC, more than 270k mentions across online news, podcasts, TV, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, X, forums and blogs in Singapore […]
This was not an election won or lost on policy alone. While political parties released detailed plans around cost-of-living relief, energy, healthcare and education, the battle for attention played out across a different terrain. One shaped by identity, digital influencers and polarised media narratives.
1. Policy set the agenda, but didn’t hold it
At the start of the campaign, traditional media focused on familiar priorities. The Labor government’s May budget led with cost-of-living relief, fuel excise changes and increased rental support. The Liberals responded with proposals for nuclear energy and a plan to cut 40,000 public service jobs. While these issues framed the early weeks, they were quickly overtaken in online discussions by stories with more cultural weight.
On social media, a video comparing Peter Dutton to Donald Trump circulated widely, while Anthony Albanese’s “delulu with no solulu” moment during a Happy Hour podcast interview was picked up by national outlets and widely shared on social platforms. Personality often generated more interest than policy.
2. Messaging strategy went beyond the platforms
Both major parties tried to engage younger voters where they spend their time. Albanese’s appearance on podcasts and his interviews with influencers like Abbie Chatfield reflected a values-driven approach. Dutton’s appearance on Sam Fricker’s podcast targeted young men through a more casual, conversational format.
Mainstream media covered these appearances but often through the lens of political tactics rather than substance. When Abbie Chatfield’s pro-Greens posts attracted AEC scrutiny in early April, the story became more about influencer regulation than her political message.
3. Polarisation dominated public debate
The second leaders’ debate on 10 April marked a turning point, with stark contrasts on energy, education and immigration. Dutton's focus on crime and border control drew backlash, while Albanese was seen as calm but cautious. Instead of clarifying party differences, the debate intensified existing divides.
Online commentary quickly split along ideological lines. Audiences did not just debate the leaders’ points but used the debate to reinforce partisan views, highlighting how polarised public discourse has become.
4. Influencers reshaped election storytelling
Influencers became central to election storytelling. Abbie Chatfield faced strong support and criticism after posting about the Greens and questioning the Liberal Party’s media strategy. The Juice Media released satirical videos targeting defence and energy policies, resonating with disillusioned younger audiences.
Even incidents unrelated to official campaigns became flashpoints. In February, a video from an Israeli influencer alleging antisemitic comments by NSW nurses went viral, triggering political statements and shifting media attention to broader issues of hate speech and accountability online.
5. Culture wars outpaced policy in the final stretch
As the election neared, cultural tensions gained traction. On 12 April, media attention turned to Peter Dutton after reports emerged that his Labor opponent Ali France was leading in Dickson. Around the same time local authorities dismantled a tent encampment in the area while Dutton was campaigning in Perth. This raised questions about leadership and visibility on local issues.
Across social and news media, themes like Gaza, curriculum debates and identity politics took centre stage. Slogans such as “Get Australia back on track” were interpreted as echoes of US political rhetoric. Jacinta Price and Clive Palmer were both linked to similar messaging, fuelling memes and commentary about the Americanisation of Australian politics.
Rather than rallying around shared policy concerns, audiences engaged with content that reflected deeper anxieties about national identity and international influence.
What stood out the most wasn’t necessarily the policy itself, but the moments, memes, and messages that tapped into cultural tensions. The freedom for media and social media users to connect with and amplify these narratives created an arena where some politicians struggled to engage effectively. While some stuck to party lines without fully understanding the patterns driving media and social discourse, others embraced the shift, adapting to the rhetoric that was emerging online. The lesson is clear: in today’s media environment, ignoring what people are saying or the patterns of conversation isn’t an option.
Media and social highlights from the election campaign 2025
This was not an election won or lost on policy alone. While political parties released detailed plans around cost-of-living relief, energy, healthcare and education, the battle for attention played out across a different terrain. One shaped by identity, digital influencers and polarised media narratives. 1. Policy set the agenda, but didn’t hold it At the […]
The biggest influence on public perception of the 2025 election campaign was not policy. It was identity, culture wars, and a growing fear of Australia 'becoming America'. What began as a focus on easing the cost of living quickly widened into a broader debate about national identity. Media coverage and social media feeds revealed a tug of war. On one side was policy messaging. On the other, gaining considerable ground, were culture and identity narratives fuelled by anxiety over external influence.
At the start of the election cycle in early March, news coverage centred on cost of living pressures and tax cuts. The Labor government's budget announcement and the Liberal Party’s response cemented the agenda, with topics like supermarket price gouging, fuel excises, and nuclear energy proposals striking a chord with voters. Early discussion on social media showed a clear focus on making life more affordable for families. But in the background, frustration around Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and concerns about Australia–U.S. relations began to surface. Peter Dutton’s early promise to cut 40,000 public service jobs and push for a return to office work further fuelled comparisons between Dutton and Trump among Australian audiences.
As the election cycle progressed, international events and conflicts moved to the forefront. Trump’s presence in global headlines alongside Canada's similarly timed election, intensified comparisons between Australian and Canadian public attitudes toward American influence. Media narratives shifted from domestic cost-of-living concerns to broader conversations about defending the Australian way of life and protecting national interests particularly in education, reshaping the battleground on which voters made their decisions.
On March 28, coverage and discussion spiked as Anthony Albanese officially announced the election date. Earlier, on March 10, a surge in conversation centred on new polling that suggested a potential hung parliament, sharpening media focus on Labor. Albanese’s appearance on Today, where he responded to frustrations about delayed campaigning with, “We’re just about helping people, because that’s what people expect,” reinforced his image as a community-focused leader and contrasted with how past prime ministers were criticised during disasters. Meanwhile, Peter Dutton’s social media attention rose on April 12, as reports surfaced of his opponent Ali France leading in Dickson while a local tent encampment was demolished by Moreton Bay Council. Dutton, campaigning in Perth during the demolition, attracted criticism. A few days later, a compilation of clips linking Dutton to Donald Trump circulated widely. These moments highlighted the distinct leadership styles that shaped voter perceptions throughout the campaign.
Although Labor drew the most attention overall, Dutton and the Liberals gained momentum across social media. The Liberal Party’s early use of trends, AI tools, and memes attracted conversation, but the involvement of influencers and podcasts proved polarising. Coverage also highlighted a generational divide, with young women leaning left and young men leaning right. Influencers played a key role in shaping these dynamics, from Albanese’s Happy Hour podcast appearance on March 26, where his “delulu with no solulu” challenge dominated news cycles, to Dutton’s interview on Sam Fricker’s podcast aimed at young male voters. As the campaign progressed, news increasingly focused on character attacks and gaffes at the expense of policy debate. Issues like housing, supermarket competition, HECS relief, and energy bills remained core to party platforms, but many audiences were drawn into yarns covering personality clashes and culture wars.
The most shared news items from the beginning of the campaign to recently underline this shift of attention to cultural conflict. Posts about the mobilisation of Muslim voters around Gaza, criticism of Liberal candidates campaigning in military uniforms, warnings about public service job cuts, and debates over the political leanings of young male voters all reveal how specific cultural flashpoints and niche group appeals dominated discussion. Instead of broad policy debates, election discourse was fragmented into controversies that inflamed identity-driven tensions, polarised audiences, and heightened distrust.
Whether leaders spoke about getting Australia back on track, building a better Australia, or even making Australia great again, these slogans signalled clear messages to voters. More often than not, the public expressed a desire to distance Australia from the United States, particularly in defending healthcare and education systems that set Australia apart. Early in the campaign, when a journalist suggested Anthony Albanese’s use of "build back better" echoed Joe Biden’s slogan, the comment was quickly dismissed. Though not officially endorsed, the slogan’s use by Jacinta Price and Clive Palmerquickly eclipsed party lines, fuelling memes and comparisons to US Republicans across social media. This did little to help the Liberals distance their official slogan, 'Get Australia back on track,' from US political parallels. As Trump’s influence became a talking point, glimpses of Trump-style messaging were eagerly picked up by news outlets and social media alike, often overshadowing Labor’s campaign messaging and limiting its cut-through.
As the campaign unfolded, it became harder to separate policy from personality or promises from the cultural narratives surrounding them. Media and social media attention did more than reflect public interest. They helped shape it, steering the election conversation toward identity, values, and questions about Australia's place in a changing world. Whether that influence outweighed policy in swaying voters is still up for debate, but it clearly changed how the campaign was seen, shared, and remembered.
Did culture wars cut through more than policy on the election trail?
The biggest influence on public perception of the 2025 election campaign was not policy. It was identity, culture wars, and a growing fear of Australia ‘becoming America’. What began as a focus on easing the cost of living quickly widened into a broader debate about national identity. Media coverage and social media feeds revealed a […]
