TikTok is on a rapid rise, having attracted its billionth user in half the time that Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram did, and it is on track to overtake Facebook as the platform on which users spend the most time. With social media's political power on full display throughout the last decade, it begs the question: how does TikTok influence Gen-unique Z's brand of digital political activism? Along with the positives, does it potentially allow for more fake news to circulate, misinforming the generation that will be in power next?
Released in September 2016, the Chinese company promotes short, snappy videos with a unique algorithm. It is an updated version of the previous social media platform musical.ly, promoted as a video-sharing network instead of just entertainment through lip syncing. TikTok has allowed for a larger scope of video content creation.
So, why has Gen Z become so attached to it? It differs from Instagram and Facebook, constantly flitting between entertaining videos, trending things with hashtags and creating personalised ‘for you pages’ for each individual user. It has brought a new meaning to the idea of trends and influencers. The extremely personal nature of the ‘for you page’ on TikTok creates deep connections between the audience and creators in a way that is hard to find on other apps.
The political climate that Gen Z has witnessed has been so very different from that of other generations. Reeling from the impact of major political events like 9/11 and the Syrian War before their time, they have now been thrown head-first into an unprecedented global pandemic, putting a halt on people’s lives. Alongside this, the shift of political climate from centrist political views to rise in authoritarian extremism (like Trump, Le-Pen, Orbán) has meant a redraft of what is traditionally known as left and right. Ultimately, there has been a shift away from identity politics, where working class individuals choose to reject ideas of traditional unions, instead supporting nationalistic ideals. Even as recently as 2020, political events like BLM and Climate Strikes have been strongly reinforced by social media. With such heavy reliance on technology, many young individuals get their information about the world from social media, instead of traditional new outlets.
Growing up in the technology age with no recollection of life before smartphones has made it so that their entire lives revolve around being digitally connected; this has both its ups and downs. Generation Z grew up in an era of social media, instant messaging, video games and streaming content making it so that Gen Z’s political context is inextricably linked with their technological context.
The impact of TikTok reaches beyond the truistic view of it as a hub for dance videos and catchy songs- it is used as a way to uplift young people, find like-minded peers and give them a collective voice. Anyone from around the world is able to create an account to advocate for and create awareness around political issues in their country. Many have used this to its full potential, creating information hubs (like the CCH itself!), working together to bridge the gap between younger and older generation. Accounts like @genzforchange, @youth4climatejustice, @aggressivelyprogressive use the platform to showcase pressing matters and show fellow Gen Zs that we have power in ourselves. However, the potential for misinforming the public has increased because of its unique algorithm. A research team at NewsGuard stated: “At a time when false narratives about the Russia-Ukraine conflict are proliferating online, none of the videos fed to our analysts by TikTok’s algorithm contained any information about the trustworthiness of the source, warnings, fact-checks, or additional information that could empower users with reliable information”. This can create unfair bias in a sensitive political situation, as eye-catching TikTok headlines may not hold the same nuance of traditional news outlets that get to the core of the issue. TikTok users must be aware of the reliability of what they see on the app, understanding that everything is not what it seems.
What sets TikTok apart from other platforms is that creators can use the highly addictive algorithm to keep users engaged for extended periods of time (second only to Facebook currently, but rapidly on the rise). This emphasises strong connections between audiences and creators. Influencers use TikTok to bring awareness to political issues in creative, light-hearted ways. Trending dances, funny sounds or role playing juxtaposes the heavy nature of many political issues.
The widely-popular app has even caught the attention of older politicians outside of their target audience, like Malaysia’s former prime minister, Mahathir Mohammad, who created a TikTok account to reach younger audiences. On multiple occasions he has used trending songs to increase engagement, duetting other creator’s videos as well as using popular hashtags. Videos like his morning routine (link) have accumulated over 2 million views, again emphasising the political power that Gen Z holds as all generations try use TikTok’s propensity to create a feeling of personal connection.
Individuals have come together to create extraordinary movements, which have been pushed forward by TikTok and its algorithm. The aforementioned School Strike for Climate snowballed into what it is known as today through social media, turning Greta Thunberg into a political force to be reckoned with. As such social media has the power to create political influencers, where TikTok has harnessed that power in a focused way; rapidly increasing awareness through the snowball technique of the algorithm. In kind, TikTok is being used to push certain political agendas. Young people use it as a way to elevate other voices in ways that could not have been possible before, highlighting those that have been hidden away. Other generations can now recognise this power and its influence in real-life politics.
Gen Z’s powerful impact can be seen through analysis of K-Pop fans and Donald Trump in 2016 during his election at rallies. K-Pop fans (primarily BTS’ fans known as ARMYs) made use of their knowledge on event organisation and large scale campaigning to prevent a full house at one of Trump’s speeches. After seeing the Trump team promoting free online registration for events on Twitter, fans created a scheme that exploded on TikTok. Individuals bought tickets for his rally in Tulsa and then did not attend, in order to leave hundreds of seats empty at a venue that held the capacity for 19,000 people. This was their own form of protest, where K-Pop fans have also made efforts during the BLM 2020 protests, trending hashtags about K-Pop celebrities to drown out content under #WhiteLivesMatter. In June of 2020 New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez ridiculed Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale by thanking K-pop fans: “You just got rocked by teens on TikTok who … tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during Covid...K-Pop allies, we see and appreciate your contributions in the fight for justice.”
So when all is said and done, what is it that makes Gen Z different? Their use of social media to empower their own is unprecedented in previous generations. There is a common theme to stand up for people who have been pushed aside by their own governmental institutions. By lifting up hidden voices (i.e school-shootings in US, unsolicited school searches in the UK), they uncover the silences in even the most controversial of political issues. Further, TikTok’s unique way of using lip-syncing, acting and trendy dances makes political issues accessible for younger generations. Its unique algorithm, which pushes content based on user interaction, preference and exploration on the app, contributes to higher viral traction than its competitors. This leaves us to question if and how social media should be limited, as with the pros of TikTok there is also more potential than ever before for fake news.
