‘Moral panic’ about new media’s influence on young voters underplays their interest in politics, creators say

Konrad Benjamin of Punters Politics says creators like him are not journalists, they are more like ‘communicators’ in the mould of talkback radio hosts. Composite: The Guardian

Young Australian voters “do actually care” about politics and current affairs, Konrad Benjamin tells Guardian Australia. “Aussie punters are not disengaged,” he says. “Most of the corporate media and politicians just refuse to talk about the big, systemic things that are broken, and how we can fix them.”

The creator behind Punters Politics, with 400,000 followers on Instagram, is a popular source of information in the lead-up to the federal election, according to responses to the Guardian Australia young voter callout. He is one of a lineup of independent commentators and journalists creating content on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch that people told us they are turning to for political information.