A man walks past a mural by street artist Jarrod Grech of Erin Patterson - now stamped with a guilty sign - who was found guilty of murdering three people with a toxic mushroom-laced beef Wellington lunch (William West/AFP via Getty Images)
Lowy Institute staff nominate the most notable books, trends, ideas, and people of 2025.
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2025 in review: Insta influencers, murder trials, and divisive politics2025 in review: Insta influencers, murder trials, and divisive politics
The Australian federal election in early May showed a clear shift in campaigning strategy as both major parties targeted younger audiences through social media. Among the flurry of government sponsored brain-rot, Albanese thirst traps, sound cloud raps, and AI-talking rats, social media influencers seized the political momentum and played a large role in controlling campaign narratives.
A clear voice that stood out to me was Hannah Ferguson. Her commentary speaks directly to young people who are often dismissed as politically unaware and encourages critical discussion rather than directing her audience towards a single candidate. Her focus on the teal wave's progressive ideas resonated beyond traditional media gatekeepers. Most notably, The National Press Club chose her to present immediately after the election – a significant recognition of alternative media's growing influence with younger generations at the helm.
Ferguson's rise exemplifies a broader international trend: the democratisation of political commentary through digital platforms. As traditional media struggles to maintain audience trust, independent voices like Ferguson's are filling the gaps in political discourse. For younger Australians navigating an increasingly complex information landscape, she's become an unlikely guide – and my person of the year.
Two years after Erin Patterson served up those fateful beef Wellingtons, Australians were served every detail of her murder trial for 11 long weeks. During this time, Annabel Crabb wrote a brilliant article connecting the nation’s mushroom mania to the evermore apparent retreat from nuance in an age of information overload.
Among the chaos of our modern media hellscape, we are too exhausted by complexity and are reverting back to our primal need for simple binaries of right or wrong. The near certainty of guilt in Patterson's case gave audiences a sense of moral clarity that other news stories rarely offer. This reflects a common pattern emerging beyond Australia: the appeal of clear villains and heroes, the rush to judgment, the satisfying click of a closed case.
Crabb also discusses how technology has transformed the nature of crime and thus court proceedings. With text messages, CCTV, digital footprints, and in this case a food dehydrator, the level of detail in such investigations would have been unimaginable decades ago. These details made armchair detectives out of an entire nation that became focused on the “villain” narrative that clouded their ability to properly mourn the death of three innocent people.
On 10 September 2025, Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University. Coming roughly a year after assassination attempts on Donald Trump, the killing of a young conservative activist who built his following by speaking to middle America stoked the already roaring flames of American political divisiveness and sent shockwaves around the world.
Although most leaders claimed a middle ground in the belief that nobody should die for their political views, it didn’t feel like an apt conclusion given Kirk’s outspokenness often at the expense of others’ freedoms. There was both a need to assert your position on the unfolding situation, as well as a hesitance to speak out as public influence alone could now make someone a target. This unease surrounding political speech became palpable – not just in America, but in countries abroad watching nervously as the world's most powerful democracy appeared as fragile as ever.
Kirk’s assassination also highlighted that although social media can help democratise discourse, the algorithm always favours polarisation. Since heightened emotions spur the greatest engagement and potential for advertising revenue, extremist content and conspiracy theories ran rampant on social media, making even a semblance of unity seem impossible.
About the author
April Druery
April Druery is Receptionist and Office Assistant at the Lowy Institute.
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