The advent of digital democracy and social media has shifted the balance of power in political agenda-setting, giving rise to a new online elite of Social Media Influencers (SMIs) capable of shaping public discussions and agendas. For instance, German influencer Diana zur Löwen has used her platform to promote mental health awareness, influence public attitudes, and even impact the German coalition agreement. Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni advocates for social causes such as raising funds for a new hospital wing during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Swiss influencer Anja Zeidler mobilized her 300,000 followers against the MERCOSUR free-trade agreement in 2019, prioritizing environmental concerns in the political agenda. However, it remains unclear whether SMIs can consistently leverage their significant follower numbers to set public debate topics beyond their usual areas of expertise. Thus, this research project aims to explore the role SMIs in the political agenda-setting process and their influence on traditional political elites within digital democracies.Specifically, I seek to examine the extent and quality of political content produced by SMIs, assess the effectiveness of their communication strategies, and determine the degree to which they shape traditional political elites' agendas. The objectives include analyzing the scope and nature of SMIs' political engagement on two major social-media platforms – Instagram and YouTube –, an evaluation of their communication strategies' effectiveness in resonating with online audiences as well as an investigation of SMIs’ influence on traditional political elites’ agendas and discourse. To achieve these objectives, the comprehensive data collection will focus on English and German speaking SMIs from Europe and North America between 2019 and 2023. I will employ a combination of supervised classification techniques, sentiment analysis, and advanced correlational methods to explore the relationships between SMIs, political content, audience engagement, and traditional political agendas. Additionally, online experiments will be conducted to assess SMIs’ ability to alter the issue priorities of their online audiences.This project holds significant academic, methodological, and practical implications for the fields of political science, political communication, and digital democracy. It contributes to a more profound understanding of political agenda setting in the digital age and offers valuable insights into the nature and effectiveness of political content shared by SMIs. Methodologically, the project will develop and employ innovative computational methods to analyze online political content, expanding the methodological toolkit in political science and providing broader applicability across various areas of the discipline.On a practical level, the findings will inform political actors, advocacy groups, and communication professionals on the most effective strategies for engaging with online audiences and shaping political discourse. By identifying factors contributing to the success or failure of political content on social media, this research can guide the development of targeted communication strategies for political engagement and advocacy.