Dialogue in the Digital Sphere: Lessons from the European Parliament’s Social Media Strategy
The way citizens seek and consume political content is undergoing a profound transformation. For managers, understanding these shifts is essential for safeguarding democratic participation, trust, and informed decision-making within companies.
CEC European Managers is an official communication partner of the European Parliament and, as such, it closely follows developments at EU level that shape how institutions engage with citizens. Today, a deep dive into the European Parliament’s social media strategy has provided CEC with valuable insights into responsible leadership and transparent communication.
Social Media, More Media than Ever
Social media has become the primary gateway through which young Europeans access political information. Also, Social Media is substituting search engines.
Among 15–24-year-olds, nearly two-thirds rely on social platforms as their first source of news. This trend places a renewed responsibility on European institutions and social partners to communicate clearly, accurately and accessibly—while countering the rising tide of misinformation.
The European Parliament’s communication teams highlighted a central challenge: translating complexity into clarity without compromising on accuracy.
This balance is essential at all levels of leadership. For managers, who often serve as intermediaries between institutions, companies and society, it mirrors a broader need for empathetic, trustworthy and fact-based communication.
Data-Driven Communication: Meeting Citizens Where They Are
Survey results presented by the colleagues at DG COMM from the European Parliament show a highly fragmented information ecosystem. Citizens of different ages and backgrounds use different platforms with different expectations.
One-third of users still engage actively, but many consume passively. Algorithms increasingly favour relevance, credibility, and user behaviour over sheer volume.
What works on LinkedIn rarely works on TikTok, as people change their behaviour when using one of the Social Media channels. Also, what resonates with younger audiences may not resonate with senior professionals. Understanding these nuances is key to building trust and ensuring that Europe’s social dialogue remains visible and relevant.
Perhaps the most striking insight concerns trust.
While citizens consider scientists and personal networks as their most trusted sources for political information, traditional media, NGOs, and political figures rank significantly lower. Influencers and content creators score only around 4%.
For the European Parliament, and for social partners like CEC, this underscores that credibility depends on expertise, transparency, and institutional reliability. The Parliament’s approach, with clear institutional voices, expert interviews, and informative explainers, aligns with our own values of responsible leadership and high-quality social governance.
The DG COMM team at the European Parliament also took time to showcase the most trending video ever published by the European institutions, a TikTok and Instagram reel that has already received 3,5M views.
Innovation Across Platforms: From Threads to WhatsApp
The Parliament’s communication teams shared insights from several fast-growing platforms:
Threads
Simple, well-crafted text posts outperform visuals. The spoiler feature and short emotional headlines help spark curiosity and engagement.
WhatsApp Channels
A powerful one-way communication tool, ideal for short, mobile-friendly updates. Its linear, notification-based system requires careful moderation and a low posting frequency.
TikTok and Instagram
Authenticity and simplicity matter more than production value. Short educational videos, country comparisons and stories rooted in daily European life resonate strongly—especially with younger audiences.
A stable, professional environment. High-quality explainers, data-driven posts and newsletters perform exceptionally well. This is a platform where managers and policy stakeholders are naturally active—an area where CEC continues to expand its presence.
YouTube
Longer explainers (5–10 minutes), livestreams from plenary sessions, and well-structured thematic series generate strong engagement over time. Users come here to learn, not just scroll.
These insights highlight the importance of agility and continuous learning—skills essential for European managers navigating digital transformation.
On Disinformation
One of the session’s most important messages concerned the growing sophistication of misinformation and manipulation online. The Parliament’s teams must increasingly confront coordinated networks, AI-driven bots, and narrative-seeding campaigns.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) now provides stronger tools for accountability, obliging major platforms to address harmful behaviour and support institutional moderation efforts.
For managers and employers’ representatives, this development is important not only from a communication standpoint but also from a broader governance perspective.
Resilient democracies require informed citizens and trustworthy information ecosystems—conditions that directly influence business stability, social cohesion, and leadership legitimacy.
As one of the six recognised European social partners, CEC European Managers shares this responsibility. Strong, ethical and forward-thinking leadership is indispensable for maintaining trust, not only in organisations, but in the European project itself.
