The AfD was twice as effective at reaching first-time voters on the app than all other parties combined, according to an analysis of platform data. This may explain why the party performed so well among young voters.
Same shit happened here in Finland too, our extremist right wing party is very active on TikTok and the under 25’s voted for them in droves. That generation is more conservative than Millennials or even younger Gen X, which is a bit fucked up. Especially young men and boys have gone off the deep end
Unfortunately true for a lot of European countries. It’s easy to post a 20 second video about “foreigners bad” and kids with the attention span of a gnat will eat it right up. A longer video that explains why things really are the way they are will get swallowed by the algorithm. It just amplifies populism and outrage and will be one of the great hurdles to overcome this century.
We could force control of Tik Tok’s algorithm to be managed by a United States entity. You know, basically what China does to US businesses who want to sell product in China.
If they don’t want that, they could let Google serve wikipedia articles about Tienanmen Square again lol.
If it’s any consolation
But that battle is a tough one for Republicans, given Gen Z voters overwhelmingly supported Democrats over Republicans in the midterms by 27 points — and prioritized protecting abortion access by a higher amount than any other generation, according to SocialSphere’s survey data.
I suspect the kids, as a whole, are alright. Not that we shouldn’t take this seriously, but we don’t have to start planning our funerals yet.
No shit. Social media is spreading ruzzian propaganda like the plague.
And the people in power don’t seem to give a shit.
Yeah, here in Germany, most politicians don’t really like to engage with digital topics at all and flat out refuse to use the internet. Which explains why my country has the worst internet in Western Europe by far.
It’s quite logical even. Right-wing answers are short, simple and spoken with certainty. That’s great for a half-minute clip. Answers grounded in reality are complex, require proof and have some uncertainty. That’s not gonna fit in there, or, at the very least, you need an outstanding communicator.
No matter the age, most people stick just with what they hear most often.
Kind of? I remember a statistic about pseudo-science being more popular with younger generations. Energy healing, healing stones and all that other homeopathic bullshit. Assuming that is indeed correct, Flat Earth is likely more popular too.
It probably does okay simply by virtue of being so stupid, there aren’t many people in their right mind producing videos about the earth being round to drown them out.
Of course younger generations are more likely to believe in pseudo science, they haven’t yet learned that they are bullshit. Once they get older and have more experience with detecting bullshit, it’s popularity should decline.
Wait, a Chinese government tool is spreading anti democracry propaganda?!?! SHOCKING!!
Bad headline. Should have titled as ‘AfD is better at promotion on tiktok’ or something of that sort
Many first timers on Tiktok report that the first thing they see is this nazi crap right after registration. This is not normal.
Cold start is a hard problem for recommendations. It probably shows what’s popular in the nearby locations and/or matching demographics. Why’s it not normal?
Because in most countries including Germany social networks filter these kinds of posts and try to fight against misinformation, racism, etc.
Tiktok can be used as a weapon. It can stir up communities and manipulate views. My impression is that it is done on purpose and it’s been instructed by the Chinese government.
I don’t have a proof but in American politics you can see tendencies against Tiktok. They are aware of these subtle issues.
