Perception of youth and influence of far-right content on TikTok
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65598/rps.5487Keywords:
Youth, social networks, TikTok, Vox, Spain, influence, political partiesAbstract
The analysis of the influence of the media on shaping public opinion is a central theme in communication research. Social networks like TikTok enable engagement with a younger electorate and play a significant role in the transmission and consolidation of certain values. This article examines if the use of such networks by political parties, paying special attention to the far-right, can influence youth and in what way. 266 contents have been selected from the official accounts of principal Spanish political parties (Vox, PP, PSOE, Podemos) between 2019 and 2023, analyzing the degree of adaptation of each party's communication strategies to the peculiarities of this platform. Quantitative results have been contrasted with 3 focus groups to analyze how young people perceive Vox's messages. The normalization of far-right narratives is concluded for different reasons: adaptation to TikTok's formal codes; the use of simple political messages with cultural references that allow replacing debate; its playful nature, making it easily viral; and the relationship with fake accounts or poorly verified content that reinforces the idea of post-truth and misinformation among youth.
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