Why Political Communication in TikTok is a New Phenomenon we Need to Research

In one of our classes on Digital Branding, a guest speaker started the ice-breaker by asking us to name our favorite social media. I have no doubt that my favorite is YouTube. But I was surprised to hear that many of my classmates love TikTok. We are the same age, learn the same communication theories. Maybe, have different backgrounds, but I think it does not matter in this case. People love TikTok. And after a year of using it, I started to understand why.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, I re-think using TikTok once more. We discussed the situation in my home country with friends, and one of them told me: “It is horrible to see people in bomb shelters. And I know that it is truly a real story because I see Ukrainians’ TikToks, not only TV news”. TikTok videos matter, and it has become obvious to everyone.

For the last few months, I have read a lot about TikTok algorithms, portraits of its users, and the affordances of this tool for facilitating complicated topics. And I watched a ton of TikTok videos to understand how it can be used for improving political communication.

For the next three months, I have a post-degree research fellowship — I will analyze communication about the Russian invasion on TikTok. And will share my thoughts, insights and valuable links on political communication issues with you! It is a lot of work, but I hope to clarify how this instrument was used by Gen-Z and how it can be used in the future.

To start with, here is an excellent dialogue between Ioana Literat, an assistant professor of communication and media at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Neta Kligler-Vilenchik, an associate professor of communication at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They discuss political expression on TikTok and why it is a unique phenomenon. It is an excellent start in case you are still asking yourself if we really need to research TikTok — funny social media with dancing teens. The spoiler is — yes. This is something we need to pay attention to already.

And the most important link is to the charity fund Come Back Alive to help Ukraine win the battle for democracy. Remember, that even a tiny donation matters for our victory!

Stay safe!

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