Picture this: you’re scrolling through your social media feed, half-watching a funny video, then a political ad, then a friend’s angry post about something in the news. It all feels natural, even harmless. But underneath the surface, a quiet revolution is taking place—one that is changing how democracy works, how citizens form opinions, and how political parties talk to the people. In Morocco, a country where internet use has grown rapidly over the past two decades, this shift has become impossible to ignore. That’s why Morocco’s High Authority for Audiovisual Communication, better known by its French acronym HACA, decided to take a long, hard look at what’s really happening in this new digital public square. The result is a new study titled “Social Media and Political Communication Between Opportunities for Influence and Risks of Disinformation.” It’s not just another dry academic report. It’s a wake-up call about how social media has become both a powerful tool for political engagement and a dangerous playground for misinformation, manipulation, and polarization. The study asks uncomfortable questions: Who controls what we see online? Are algorithms shaping our political beliefs without us knowing? And are Moroccan political parties using these platforms responsibly, or just shouting into the void?
At the heart of the study is a deeply human concern: the quality of democratic debate in Morocco. Narjis Rerhaye, the woman leading the working group behind the research, put it plainly. Digital technologies are moving so fast that our laws, our education, and even our sense of shared truth are struggling to keep up. She warned that disinformation and algorithmic manipulation aren’t just annoying side effects of the internet—they can actually change how people see political reality. Think about that. If you see the same false story over and over again, especially if it makes you angry or scared, it starts to feel true. That’s exactly the kind of manipulation Rerhaye is talking about. She even used a striking phrase: “democracy under algorithms.” It’s a powerful image. Democracy is supposed to be about citizens making informed choices. But if our choices are being shaped by opaque algorithms designed to keep us glued to our screens, then are we really choosing at all? Rerhaye didn’t just point out the problem; she also pointed fingers at the root cause: the lack of transparency from major tech platforms and the massive concentration of power in a few giant companies. These corporations decide what gets seen and what gets buried, often without any public oversight. It’s a situation that calls for more than just worried headlines—it calls for action.
So, what did the researchers actually do? They didn’t just theorize about the internet; they got their hands dirty with real data. The study’s final section zooms in on the digital presence of political parties represented in Morocco’s Parliament after the 2021 legislative elections. The team carefully collected information between January and May 2026—and no, that’s not a typo. They deliberately chose a period outside the electoral campaign. Why does that matter? Because during elections, everyone is posting frantically, running ads, and trying to outshine opponents. That’s not a fair test of how parties behave in everyday political communication. By picking a quiet period, the researchers got a clearer picture of how parties actually use social media when they’re not in crisis mode. And they didn’t limit themselves to one platform. They examined the official Facebook pages of twelve political parties, digging through 2,651 posts. But they didn’t stop there. They also reviewed 925 TikTok videos published by six parties, 507 YouTube videos from five parties, and 1,012 posts on X (formerly Twitter) from four parties. They even looked at the parties’ own websites. That’s a treasure trove of information, and together it tells a fascinating story about how Moroccan politics is adapting to the digital age.
And what did they find? Well, the first big takeaway is that not all social media platforms are the same. Each one has carved out its own unique role in the political ecosystem, and the parties know it. Facebook, for example, is described by HACA as the central meeting place, a kind of digital town square where parties can interact directly with citizens. It’s where the conversations happen, where comments are left, and where community-building takes place. Then there’s TikTok, which has exploded in popularity, especially among younger Moroccans. For political parties, TikTok is like a flashy billboard on a highway—it’s all about viral visibility. A catchy, funny, or emotionally charged short video can reach millions of people in a matter of days, even if those people aren’t actively following politics. YouTube plays a different game entirely. It’s the home of long-form content, where parties can explain their positions in detail without being limited by character counts or short attention spans. Think of it as the difference between a soundbite and a full speech. X, on the other hand, is all about speed. It’s where political messages circulate fastest, often spilling over into traditional media coverage. If a politician wants to get quoted in the news, X is where they post. And then there are the parties’ own websites—the old-school institutional hubs. These serve as official repositories of information, but let’s be honest: they attract very little engagement. People don’t go to a party’s website to hang out. They go there if they need a document or a formal statement. The study also touched on something broader: citizen mobilizations, both in Morocco and abroad, that use social media as a public square. From peaceful protests to online campaigns, these platforms have given ordinary people a voice in ways that were unimaginable just a generation ago. But the same tools that empower citizens can also be used to manipulate them, and that’s the tightrope we’re all walking.
Of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. The study paints a picture of Morocco as an increasingly connected country, where more and more people are getting their news and information from social media rather than traditional outlets. That shift has huge implications. On one hand, it means greater access to information and more opportunities for civic participation. On the other hand, it means that disinformation can spread like wildfire, especially when it’s dressed up in the garb of legitimate news. The researchers looked closely at how disinformation operates in this digital environment—how false narratives are born, how they spread, and why they can be so hard to stop. One of the key insights is that algorithms play a huge role in all of this. They’re designed to maximize engagement, which often means showing people content that confirms their existing beliefs. This creates echo chambers and filter bubbles, where people become more and more polarized because they’re only ever seeing one side of the story. Over time, that erodes the common ground that healthy democracies need. Rerhaye and her team are convinced that the impact of social media on individuals will depend, at least in part, on the ability of institutions, civil society, and citizens themselves to promote responsible digital practices. It’s not just about blaming the platforms, although they certainly share responsibility. It’s about building digital literacy, teaching people how to spot misinformation, and creating a culture of critical thinking online. Without those skills, even the most transparent algorithms won’t save us.
So, what’s the way forward? The study offers a few signposts, but no easy answers. Rerhaye insists that Morocco needs to develop its own approach to regulation and moderation, one that balances national principles with openness, innovation, and the protection of individual rights. This is a tricky balancing act. Regulate too much, and you risk stifling free speech and innovation. Regulate too little, and you leave citizens vulnerable to manipulation and foreign interference. The key, the study suggests, is algorithmic transparency. That means tech companies need to be more open about how their algorithms work, how content is ranked, and why certain posts go viral while others disappear into the void. It also means promoting digital education, not just for kids but for adults too. After all, most people don’t have a degree in media studies. They just want to scroll through their feed without being deceived. The study also calls for access to a wider range of information sources, so that people aren’t reliant on just one app or one news outlet. And it builds on earlier work by HACA’s Regulation and Digital Media group, including practical guides on safer internet use for young people published back in 2021, and a guide on combating disinformation released in 2022. These are baby steps, but they’re steps in the right direction. The goal isn’t to create a world without risks—that’s impossible. The goal is to create a world where citizens are equipped to navigate those risks without losing their way.
In the end, this study is about more than just algorithms and data sets. It’s about people. It’s about your neighbor, scrolling through Facebook and wondering if the story they just read is true. It’s about a young person on TikTok, seeing a political meme that feels funny but is secretly full of misleading information. It’s about the health of Moroccan democracy, and indeed democracy everywhere, in an age where the lines between information and manipulation have become dangerously blurred. HACA didn’t publish this study to scare us, but to prepare us. The digital revolution is here, and it’s not going away. The question isn’t whether we should use social media for politics—that ship has already sailed. The question is how we use it, how we regulate it, and how we teach people to think critically about what they see online. The Moroccan government, political parties, civil society, and citizens all have a role to play. Politicians need to be more transparent and authentic online. Platforms need to be more accountable for the role they play in spreading disinformation. And everyday people need to be more skeptical, more curious, and more willing to question the stories they’re being told. It’s a tall order, but it’s not impossible. As Rerhaye and her team have shown, the first step is understanding the problem. The second step is doing something about it. And thanks to studies like this one, Morocco is now a little closer to finding that balance between the promise of social media and the perils of a world where anyone can say anything, and millions will listen.