Fez — Facebook remains a central platform for Morocco’s political parties, while TikTok is increasingly important for reaching younger audiences, according to a new study examining how social media is reshaping political communication in the country.
Morocco’s High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) published the study on October 5 through its “Regulation and Digital Media” working group, chaired by Superior Council for Audiovisual Communication member Narjis Rerhaye.
Titled “Social Networks and Political Communication: Between Opportunities for Influence and Risks of Disinformation,” the publication examines digital platforms as spaces for political expression, but also as potential channels for disinformation, algorithmic manipulation, and polarization.
The study looks specifically at the 12 political parties represented in Parliament following Morocco’s September 2021 legislative elections.
Researchers collected data between January and May 2026, deliberately stopping before the heightened activity surrounding the 2026 legislative election period. HACA said this was intended to prevent electoral intensity from distorting the study’s results.
Thousands of posts across four platforms
The research examined 2,651 Facebook posts published by the official pages of all 12 parliamentary parties.
It also recorded 925 TikTok videos from six parties, analyzed 507 YouTube videos from five parties, and studied 1,012 posts published on X by four parties.
Political party websites were assessed separately.
The findings suggest that Morocco’s parties are using each platform differently rather than following one common digital strategy.
Facebook remains the main space for interaction and proximity with citizens, according to HACA.
TikTok, meanwhile, has become particularly significant for viral visibility among younger users.
YouTube offers more space for explanation and longer political storytelling, but the study concludes that parties are still not fully exploiting that potential.
X stands out for speed and its ability to circulate political messages rapidly through the wider media environment.
Party websites continue to serve as official reference points, but HACA found that they generate comparatively little public engagement.
‘A democracy under algorithms’
Beyond party communication strategies, the study raises broader questions about how platform design can affect democratic debate.
Rerhaye warned of the risks of what she described as “a democracy under algorithms,” pointing to the lack of transparency surrounding recommendation systems and the concentration of influence among major technology platforms.
“The opacity of algorithms and the concentration of power in the hands of major platforms pose a problem of transparency and citizen oversight,” she said.
Rerhaye argued that greater transparency, stronger digital literacy, and more diverse information sources are necessary responses to those challenges.
The study also reviews how social networks have evolved into digital public squares, enabling citizen mobilization while creating new opportunities for misleading information and political polarization.
HACA’s conclusions emphasize that the effects of social media on Morocco’s democratic life will depend partly on how institutions, civil society, and citizens respond to those risks.
The regulator argues that Morocco will need to develop its own approach to online regulation and moderation, balancing technological innovation and openness with individual rights and national legal frameworks.
The publication adds to HACA’s growing work on digital media, following previous guides on youth internet safety and combating disinformation, as well as research on artificial intelligence and audiovisual production.
Documenting how parties currently communicate online provides a snapshot of a political landscape increasingly shaped by platforms whose influence now extends well beyond traditional campaign communication.
