In the hallowed halls of British politics, the battle for votes has moved from the dispatch box to the 'gram. Back in 2015, Ed Miliband was adorned with flower crowns by the #Milifandom, a movement of young voters who saw him as 'Milibae'. It was charming, it was viral, and Labour still lost the election. David Cameron, flush with victory, quipped: 'Britain and Twitter are not the same thing.'

Fast forward a decade, and the flower crowns have been replaced by content calendars. The Labour government, now under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, has recruited an army of producers and videographers to pump out memes and policy announcements. In his first month, Burnham posted over 50 times on Instagram, including a groundbreaking ranking of pub snacks with Chancellor John Healey. Because nothing says 'serious governance' like debating whether a barm cake is superior to a cob.

He's not alone. Kemi Badenoch's viral takedowns of Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage's 7.6 million followers across platforms, and the SNP's online independence army all show that being 'too online' is now a job requirement. Even Ed Davey's campaign stunts have gone viral, proving that a man falling off a paddleboard can be a political strategy.

But is this digital frenzy actually working? Theresa May once dismissed social media with a withering 'people don't say pass me the hashtag newspaper'. Today, ministers are trailed by No 10 camera crews like reality TV stars. The shift is stark: from Churchill's radio to Blair's chatshow sofa, politicians have always adapted. Now it's TikTok ladders and Comic Sans Brexit slogans.

Yet the returns are uncertain. Cody Dahler, a comedian with two million followers, warns that voters will see through politicians using social media as a 'comms tool'. Burnham may come across as a 'cool substitute teacher', but Piers Morgan has already begged him to stop with the cringe videos. Meanwhile, Zack Polanski of the Greens learned the hard way that accepting random Instagram collaborations can lead to accusations of inciting violence against Nigel Farage. Oops.

Even the experts are skeptical. Emma Connolly from UCL's Digital Speech Lab says there's no strong evidence that social media persuades voters. But politicians keep chasing those likes, because deep down, they've always wanted to be liked. Now they can see it instantly in the form of a heart button. How very modern.