Sam Zirah, with more than two million subscribers on YouTube, first made a name for himself by interviewing reality TV contestants, but now invites political figures onto his show. He believes his interviews, which focus more on the guest's personal life, are "complementary" to those offered by major media outlets.Municipal elections in March that were a curtain raiser for the presidential campaign gave voters a taste of what's to come for the role of stars on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram in the 2027 vote. Zirah interviewed Paris mayoral candidates and hinted he has since been lining up meetings with television groups ahead of the presidential polls. His segments, including with the winner, Emmanuel Gregoire, dug into personal relationships and family tragedies. "The personal is political," said the YouTuber, who is in his thirties, insisting that his interviews are nonetheless not softball. In practice, however, content creators generally offer their guests longer formats and less aggressive questioning. The payoff is access to a younger audience. More than half of under-25s cite social networks and video platforms as their main source of news, according to a survey by media regulator Arcom published in January 2026.Two of the main contenders for France's top job are already embracing influencers and social media as part of their strategy. Far-right darling Jordan Bardella of the National Rally (RN), who is barely in his thirties, is an internet native with a vast following in his own right. His hard-left rival, Jean-Luc Melenchon, a veteran of French presidential campaigns and leader of France Unbowed (LFI), has fully integrated content creators into his communications strategy.For Pascal Lardellier, a specialist in political communication at the University of Burgundy Europe, influencers will "play a fundamental role" in the presidential election. In his view, they can "bring young people back to politics", especially those particularly prone to abstaining from voting.'Cats or dogs'Traditional media outlets, also hunting for new audiences, are working more and more with young creators.