Since the pandemic, which left many stuck in their homes, numerous social media platforms have gained immense popularity among various age groups. TikTok’s growth in particular cannot be denied; its popularity shows no signs of stopping. According to statistics from backlinko.com as of May 2024, TikTok now has about 1.04 billion monthly active users globally.
As TikTok continues solidifying its place within major social media platforms, many celebrities have hopped onto the trend, creating accounts for the app. These celebrities range from musicians to actors to influencers, and now, politicians. The two major candidates for the upcoming election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump also use this app.
For TikTok users, there is no denying that there has been a rise in the number of political videos on the app, especially now during the 2024 elections. “I’ve seen a lot of political videos on my For You Page, and I think through TikTok a lot of misinformation can easily be spread,” said freshman Eva Nguon.
Sophomore Aya Tafraoui shared similar thoughts with Nguon on the information spread through TikTok, adding that “some of the videos on TikTok sharing biased perspectives have added a lot of fuel to the fire regarding the 2024 elections.”
The increase of politicians using social media, specifically TikTok, has opened up a new world for political campaigns. These posts on TikTok not only target users of voting age but also influence the younger users on the app. In the Voanews article “Despite security concerns, TikTok still plays a key role in 2024 race” by Stella Hsu, she mentions how TikTok is a crucial tool to reach young voters.
In this article, Caitlin Chin-Rothmann, who researches the impact of technology on geopolitics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that “a huge part of the reason why Joe Biden left the race is because voters thought he was out of touch, he was too old, and so I think both Trump and Harris are trying to position themselves as very relevant, especially when it comes to that younger demographic that’s harder to reach in general.”
Hsu then refers to the public figures the two candidates have brought to rallies and how they have made videos to elaborate on the idea that Harris and Trump are trying to seem relevant to younger generations. One example Hsu uses is Harris inviting popular rapper Megan Thee Stallion to perform at her rally.
Another example of this happened recently on October 25th, when Beyonce, a world-class singer and performer, spoke at Harris’s rally in Houston. Inviting these astonishing guests is bound to help them gain attention. “I think these campaigns and advertisements involving huge celebrities have been around for a long time, so it makes sense that [Harris and Trump] would also use them. Their teams definitely know how to advertise to younger people,” stated Tafroui.
Though TikTok may be seen as just another social media platform, it can also be extremely educational and a prime news source for teenagers. When you search “US election” on TikTok, the results include a considerable amount of information for users about the election. The New York Times article “TikTok Expands Its ‘How to Vote’ Resources Ahead of the Election” by Sapna Maheshwari, explains the exact information on the Election Center provided by TikTok: “It includes links to voting resources and short explanations of how voting systems and elections work, and will be updated with real-time results from The Associated Press in November of presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial races.”
Within MHS, many students named social media as their way to get news. “TikTok spreads awareness about government and political related things, so I think it’s an important source of information for younger people,” said sophomore Andriana Rangel. Sophomore Cheryl Lin added to Rangel’s thoughts, by saying how social media has made people more aware of the election and political issues.
As more elections take place in the future, TikTok will surely continue to be a large way of campaigning for candidates. These social media platforms contain vital sources of information for younger generations, which leads them to be the key to success for candidates wanting to gain a younger audience.
