Satire and social media: Cartoons, memes and videos

There were multiple satirical voices competing for audiences in the 2025 election, including political cartoonists, citizen satirists and the major political parties. This chapter examines how the mosaic of cartoons, videos and memes circulating throughout the campaign responded to and illuminated a selection of key themes and events. The scope of the content highlights the divide between legacy media and new media and the respective cultural distinctions inherent in these audiences. The chapter also explores the extent to which the major political parties succeeded as digital content creators and how they sought to mitigate voter perceptions of inauthenticity. It observes a disciplined and focused approach by the Labor Party, while the Liberal Party’s social media campaign reflected the misfortunes of its broader campaign.