The Dark Side of TikTok: A Threat to Free Elections

elvicheva

The recent elections in Romania reminded me of the dangerous power that TikTok has over modern politics. The right wing has mastered the platform turning it into an important instrument for attracting young voters. Being very passionate about both global politics and social media, I couldn't help but make a video about it!  Let me know what you think about this topic and how TikTok has affected the politics in your country.  Sources can be found throughout the video. Music: https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Enquiries: acrosstheglobewithelvi@gmail.com  #TikTokElections, #DemocracyAtRisk, #SocialMediaPolitics, #TikTokInfluence, #ElectionManipulation, #DigitalDemocracy, #MemePolitics, #TikTokThreat, #Elections2024, #FarRightTikTok, #PoliticalMemes, #TikTokNews, #ElectionInterference, #TikTokAlgorithm, #FakeAccounts, #YouthVote, #PoliticalInfluence, #SocialMediaImpact, #DigitalPropaganda, #TikTokPolitics, #afd #rn, #vox, #rightwingpolitics, #calingeorgescu, #romania

Transcript

00:00In a shocking twist, the recent Romanian election saw an unexpected surge from

00:04far-right candidate Callin Georgescu. And this wasn't a gradual climb through traditional

00:08political means. No, it was a rapid rise, mainly fueled by TikTok. Thousands of accounts,

00:14many of them fake by the way, spread his populist and conspiratorial messages,

00:18pushing him from obscurity into the national spotlight almost overnight.

00:30What are the differences between the presidents?

00:34First of all, I will put the people and the country in the first place,

00:42and for the system, I will bring the dinner.

01:00And what's more surprising is that until recently, no one had even heard of him.

01:06As a Romanian, I never heard about this guy Callin Georgescu until recently,

01:10and I'm very shocked about the amount of votes he got.

01:13No survey showed him to be relevant at all. It took all of us a surprise.

01:17We're doomed.

01:17This raises an important question. Is TikTok still just an entertainment app,

01:21or has it become a tool for election manipulation?

01:24The European Union seems to think that it is becoming dangerous,

01:27with investigations potentially being launched to explore the platform's role

01:31in this shocking victory in the first round of the Romanian elections.

01:34And of course, it's not just Romania.

01:36Across Europe, TikTok has become an important political tool.

01:40From Germany's Alternative für Deutschland, or AFD,

01:42to France's Rassemblement National using the platform to engage young voters,

01:47TikTok has amplified far-right narratives at unprecedented scale.

01:50In Central and Eastern Europe, TikTok feeds are full of misinformation,

01:54pushing divisive messages, and often echoing conspiratorial or anti-democratic themes.

01:59As TikTok's influence grows, so does the risk to democracy.

02:03Should we just accept this as a byproduct of the digital age?

02:06Or is it time to address how TikTok operates during elections?

02:11Clearly, candidates should be allowed to use their personal accounts

02:14to communicate transparently with voters.

02:17But the widespread dissemination of fake accounts must be somehow addressed.

02:21Before we get into the main arguments, let's quickly see who is Georgescu.

02:30A far-right independent candidate, he openly admires Vladimir Putin,

02:33and Romania's former dictator Antunescu.

02:36His vague manifesto opposes active cooperation with the EU and NATO,

02:40while domestically focusing on reducing imports and catering to farmers.

02:44Some of his supporters have links to extremist movements, organized crime, or religious cults.

02:49So, I would put him in the same category as Trump in the US, Bolsonaro in Brazil, or Orban in Hungary.

02:54Despite not participating in TV debates,

02:56Georgescu's campaign gained massive traction on TikTok two weeks before the election,

03:00due to over 25,000 accounts, some linked to influencers and paid promotions.

03:05Romanian Intelligence revealed that a Telegram group guided tactics to bypass TikTok's

03:10content verification system and mask account origins.

03:13There is also some suspicious funding, including payment from a cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

03:17Romanian Intelligence also identified over 85,000 cyber attacks targeting Romania's election systems,

03:24with patterns resembling Russian disinformation campaigns.

03:28During the first round, he won 23% of the vote with a predominantly young voter base.

03:33But luckily, as of December 6th, Romania's constitutional court has annulled the results of the first round,

03:39emphasizing the need to ensure the correctness and legality of the electoral process.

03:43But yeah, this underscores the power of TikTok and how damaging it can be.

03:52Let's see how this poses a threat to democracy.

03:55Elections are meant to reflect the genuine will of the people.

03:58But platforms like TikTok and their algorithms distort this balance.

04:03By prioritizing sensationalism and engagement, the platform artificially amplifies fringe candidates,

04:09sidelining other voices.

04:11Take Romania, for example.

04:12Giordioscu's victory wasn't a reflection of his policy or public debate.

04:17It was a result of TikTok influencing public discourse.

04:21The agenda-setting theory could explain how platforms like TikTok can dictate what topics

04:26dominate public consciousness, sidelining other candidates in the process.

04:30The implications of this are enormous.

04:32It's not just about one election, it's about trust of the public overall.

04:37When platforms manipulate narratives, they erode the faith in the very foundation of democracy.

04:42Then there's the issue of free speech.

04:44TikTok has been incredible at democratizing access to political discourse and giving the

04:49common people the leverage that they need on certain political topics.

04:52AFD's strategy in Germany exemplifies this really well.

04:56By using TikTok to appeal to young voters, they completely bypassed the traditional media scrutiny,

05:01and they blurred the line between genuine campaigning and manipulation.

05:05According to this study, the party used populist stylistic devices such as provocation,

05:10conspiracy rhetoric, emotionalization and fear-mongering,

05:13simplifying complex issues and undermining rational discourse.

05:17What I'm saying is that free speech must come with accountability.

05:20Just as laws prohibit libel and incitement to violence,

05:23they must also protect the citizens from coordinated disinformation campaigns.

05:28Grassroots campaigns and satire are completely fine,

05:30but there's just simply no need for fake accounts.

05:33And the problem doesn't stop with domestic disinformation.

05:36TikTok, just like other platforms, has also become a tool for international interference.

05:41In Hungary, for example, pro-Russian narratives, surprise, surprise,

05:44infiltrated TikTok feeds, spreading anti-European sentiment and stalking division.

05:49Similar tactics have been observed in Slovakia and Estonia,

05:52where misinformation preys on cultural fears.

05:54And now my favorite part.

05:56Let's talk about the mimification of politicians.

05:58Well, as a representative of Gen Z,

06:02I absolutely loved all the memes about Kamala Harris in the U.S.

06:06You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?

06:11You exist in the context.

06:15Talking about the significance of the passage of time.

06:19Right? The significance of the passage of time.

06:22Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper.

06:24Maybe chop up a little thyme.

06:28You could also chop up, but not with the thyme, just the salt pepper.

06:31Mix that up also with some thyme.

06:33You could even do a little rosemary.

06:34The context.

06:37Of all in which you live and what came before you.

06:40Baste with butter.

06:41Yes, hi.

06:46Or about Giorgio Meloni in Italy.

06:49So I get it, okay?

07:07I love the memes as well.

07:09But would I vote for someone just because they became a popular meme?

07:14Absolutely not.

07:14But apparently TikTok has that power on people.

07:17To convince someone to vote for a politician just because they were funny for a second.

07:22And this is why I find it so interesting.

07:24Platforms like TikTok aren't just reshaping how politicians engage with voters.

07:29They are fundamentally changing what political engagement looks like.

07:33Take Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old leader of France's far-right national rally.

07:37With over a million followers on TikTok, Bardella's posts rarely focus on policies.

07:42Instead, they lean into viral trends like posing in turtlenecks, gaming,

07:46or grabbing casual drinks while carefully avoiding overt political messaging.

07:51Half of his content doesn't even mention politics directly,

07:54but instead uses humor, punchlines, and popular memes to resonate with his audience.

07:58And here's where it gets tricky.

08:00Many viewers don't even realize they're engaging with a far-right politician.

08:04To them, Bardella is just another influencer.

08:07He's relatable, he's entertaining, and he's charismatic.

08:10But behind the memes, there's a deliberate strategy to normalize far-right ideologies

08:14among young, impressionable audiences.

08:17And of course, it's not just in France.

08:19Of course, it's not just the far-right.

08:20We have the example of the Democrats in the US,

08:23and the popular coconut tree meme from Kamala Harris.

08:27But research shows that far-right politicians dominate platforms like TikTok,

08:31often because they understand the platform's logic better.

08:34By packaging anti-immigrant rants or critics of climate policy in fun, entertaining clips,

08:40they gamify political discourse, turning complex issues into shareable, reactionary moments.

08:45And, I mean, it works.

08:47In France, for example, surveys revealed that nearly a third of voters aged 18 to 24

08:52were considering voting for Bardella's party in the elections.

08:56Many young voters say that they really like Bardella because of his funny, entertaining, and witty

09:00content without realizing the political underpinnings of it.

09:05The right simply memes better.

09:07But their goal isn't just to win over a few elections.

09:09It's to dominate over the cultural discourse and shape how young voters perceive politics.

09:20So what can be done about this?

09:22Of course, we can't stop candidates from going viral on TikTok.

09:25But the process can be made more transparent and more accountable.

09:28One of the most obvious measures would be to require TikTok to verify all political accounts,

09:32especially during the election period.

09:35Another important possible measure would be to require TikTok to include disclaimers

09:39or context for heavily edited videos like political debates or disinformation campaigns

09:45to make sure that a viewer that has no prior knowledge about the situation

09:49would get the important context and not get easily influenced.

09:52And I think it's also completely fair to enforce penalties on platforms that

09:56fail to remove fake accounts or disinformation promptly.

09:58So far, TikTok hasn't been very successful at it, and something needs to be done.

10:03There are so many other policies that could be implemented, and I wouldn't go into too much detail

10:06here.

10:07But another thing to keep in mind is that the enforcement of these policies

10:12remains the biggest challenge.

10:13AI systems are already being used to detect bots and disinformation campaigns,

10:17but they still have a long way to go.

10:19Combining AI with independent audits and appeals processes could improve the enforcement process.

10:24Another point of concern is linked to the question of bias.

10:27Could these policies unfairly target certain political ideologies?

10:30Of course, to avoid that, regulations must be applied equally to all parties.

10:34Because this isn't about silencing one side, for example, the right.

10:37It's more about protecting the democratic integrity overall.

10:41So I really think it's extremely important to curb manipulation, promote transparency,

10:45and foster accountability to really ensure that platforms like TikTok empower voters

10:51rather than deceive them.

10:52So from Romania to Georgia, and across the digital landscape,

10:56we must ask ourselves, how do we want these platforms to shape our future?

11:00Because memes can be so fun and entertaining,

11:02but we must ensure that democracy remains in the hands of the people.

11:07And that's it for today's video.

11:08Thank you so much for watching it, and see you in the next one.

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