The 2025 federal election is approaching, and digital platforms like TikTok are playing an increasingly important role in shaping political opinions, especially among young voters. But what mechanisms are at work here, and what risks does the use of such platforms entail?
Florian Buschmann, founder of “Offline Heroes”, is committed to preventing media addiction. Once affected himself, he knows about the dangers. Every year he and his team hold over 300 events in schools with more than 10,000 participants. The “Offline Heroes” are committed to media literacy, media addiction prevention and the correct use of AI. You know: the future begins with our children.
Algorithm promotes extreme content
TikTok's algorithm is designed to recommend content based on user interactions such as likes, comments, and time spent. Studies show that this mechanism leads to users seeing increasingly radical content.
A study by the NGO Media Matters shows how quickly the TikTok algorithm promotes problematic content and filter bubble effects: Within a very short time, the algorithm steered users from a diverse selection of videos to the supposedly desired content. The algorithm immediately began filling users' personal recommendations with hateful and right-wing extremist content.
AfD uses TikTok particularly effectively
The AfD recognized the potential of TikTok early on and is using the platform intensively to appeal to young voters. With almost 500,000 followers and over eight million likes, it clearly outperforms other parties. This strong presence contributes to the AfD gaining increasing support among young voters.
Perception of right-wing content by students
At school events, students are increasingly reporting that they find out about current topics on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. They notice that they are often shown right-wing content.
These observations are consistent with studies showing that right-wing extremist actors use social media to specifically target young people. They disguise their ideologies behind youth language, hashtags and emojis and try to reach children and young people with platform-appropriate clips.
Risks for political opinion formation
The TikTok algorithm's focus on interactions can lead to it favoring polarizing and extreme content. This poses the risk that young users will end up in a one-sided information bubble and that their political opinions will be based on distorted or extreme views.
Conclusion: TikTok has the potential to influence the political landscape by allowing certain actors to effectively spread their messages. It is important that users are aware of how the algorithm works and treat the content they consume critically. At the same time, political actors and educational institutions should increasingly focus on digital media literacy in order to promote balanced and well-founded opinion formation.
