Fast Politics (eBook)

Propaganda in the Age of TikTok

Laura Pérez Rastrilla, Pablo Sapag M., Armando Recio García (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2023 | 2023
XVI, 196 Seiten
Springer Nature Singapore (Verlag)
978-981-99-5110-9 (ISBN)

Infos

The goal of this book is to show the role of TikTok as a tool for political purposes. To this end, the authors analyse the messages posted on this social medium by political figures and institutions such as politicians and political parties, their impact on political landscapes, as well as the transformation of political communication techniques in order to suit the platform's features. 

In the last two years, the exponential growth of TikTok has led an increasing number of politicians and institutions to incorporate it into their communication strategies. The platform displays some very different features from other social media that determine the way in which the content is presented. In addition, it manages to reach an audience that normally does not access or share political messages.

Within this context, the volume pursues two main objectives. First, to examine how the communication techniques and the peculiarities of this social medium - where short videos with actors in informal attitudes prevail - affect the political message. A second objective is to analyse the influence of the messages distributed through TikTok that redefine political scenarios, and of the relationships of politicians and parties with voters. The core of the book comprises case studies that are organised into three parts, with nine chapters in all.

The authors are scholars and practitioners of political communication, with diverse geographical representation, who approach the topics from a range of methodological perspectives. The first part addresses the state of the art and the influence of TikTok features on the way political communication is performed. The second part discusses the influence of TikTok on electoral scenarios and political culture in India, Bangladesh, the United States, and Ecuador. Finally, in the third part, TikTok is analysed as an instrument for promoting far right politicians and parties in Europe, as in the case of Matteo Salvini in Italy, and AfD in Germany and Vox in Spain.

The volume is oriented to both scholars and communication professionals, such as journalists, communication consultants, and speechwriters, who want to become familiar with the platform, learn about its political impact, or wish to deepen their understanding of transformations in communication techniques and their adaptation to this growing social medium.

Laura Pérez Rastrilla works as Lecturer in History of Mass Communication at Complutense University of Madrid. Her main research interests focus on the study of propaganda, the media's coverage during armed conflicts, and the representation of political campaigns in the media. She has held visiting fellowships in Rjeka, Moscow, Brussels, and Ljubljana.

Pablo Sapag M. is an Associate Professor at Complutense University of Madrid. He is the author of Syria in Perspective and other books and articles on the Syrian crisis. He has published on the media and propaganda, and is also a contributor to the Sage Encyclopaedia of War. He has lectured in British, European, and Latin American universities, regularly contributing to international media. 

Armando Recio García, PhD in Communication. He graduated in Journalism and is a specialist in Communication and Political Management. He works as Lecturer in History of Propaganda, History of Social Communication, and Political Communication and Propaganda at the Complutense University of Madrid. He co-leads the course 'Political Communication and Electoral Campaigns' at the Complutense Summer School.

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The goal of this book is to show the role of TikTok as a tool for political purposes. To this end, the authors analyse the messages posted on this social medium by political figures and institutions such as politicians and political parties, their impact on political landscapes, as well as the transformation of political communication techniques in order to suit the platform's features. In the last two years, the exponential growth of TikTok has led an increasing number of politicians and institutions to incorporate it into their communication strategies. The platform displays some very different features from other social media that determine the way in which the content is presented. In addition, it manages to reach an audience that normally does not access or share political messages.Within this context, the volume pursues two main objectives. First, to examine how the communication techniques and the peculiarities of this social medium where short videos with actors in informal attitudes prevail affect the political message. A second objective is to analyse the influence of the messages distributed through TikTok that redefine political scenarios, and of the relationships of politicians and parties with voters. The core of the book comprises case studies that are organised into three parts, with nine chapters in all.The authors are scholars and practitioners of political communication, with diverse geographical representation, who approach the topics from a range of methodological perspectives. The first part addresses the state of the art and the influence of TikTok features on the way political communication is performed. The second part discusses the influence of TikTok on electoral scenarios and political culture in India, Bangladesh, the United States, and Ecuador. Finally, in the third part, TikTok is analysed as an instrument for promoting far right politicians and parties in Europe, as in the case of MatteoSalvini in Italy, and AfD in Germany and Vox in Spain.The volume is oriented to both scholars and communication professionals, such as journalists, communication consultants, and speechwriters, who want to become familiar with the platform, learn about its political impact, or wish to deepen their understanding of transformations in communication techniques and their adaptation to this growing social medium.Chapter 2 The Moving Body as the Articulator, Meme and Affective Link in Political Communication on TikTok is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com. 

Inhalt

Preface 6
Contents 14
Editors and Contributors 16
Part I Research on the Making: New Codes for Political Communication 18
1 TikTok: New Media, Old Propaganda—State of the Art and Possibilities for Political Communication 19
1.1 Introduction 19
1.2 Goal, Questions and Methodology 21
1.3 Overview of TikTok as a Political Tool 22
1.4 TikTok's Political Content: Election Campaigning, Activism and Geopolitics 24
1.5 Discussion and Conclusions 28
References 30
2 The Moving Body as the Articulator, Meme and Affective Link in Political Communication on TikTok 36
2.1 Introduction 36
2.2 The Body in Political Communication on TikTok 39
2.3 Bodily Motion as (Political) Form 42
2.4 The Body as Memetic Content 45
2.5 The Body as Affective Link 47
2.6 Conclusion 51
References 52
3 Scrolling Politics in the Politainment Era 56
3.1 Introduction 56
3.2 Scrolling for Fun 57
3.2.1 Knowing the TikTok User 58
3.3 TikTok’s Growing Potential for Political Communication 60
3.3.1 Politics and the Entertainment Industry 62
3.3.2 The TikTok Aurea Mediocritas 64
3.3.3 An Attractive Political Profile to Avoid Scrolling 65
3.4 TikTok and War Propaganda 67
References 69
Part II Leaping from Lip-Sync to Politics: Redefining Public Debate through an App 73
4 From Popular Culture to Popular Politics: TikToking in India and Bangladesh 74
4.1 Introduction 74
4.2 Methodology 76
4.3 TikToking and the Virtual World 77
4.3.1 Political Performances: TikTok Reflections from India 79
4.3.2 TikTok’s Influence in Bangladesh 81
4.4 Critical TikToking 84
4.5 Digital Politicking 86
4.6 Conclusion 89
References 90
5 The Dangerous but Efficacious Potency of the Social Media Behemoth TikTok on U.S. Politics with Gen Z: Conceptualizing Mis-, Disinformation and Propaganda on TikTok 94
5.1 Why is TikTok Popular? 94
5.2 U.S. National Security Against China’s Meddling in American Politics Via TikTok 96
5.3 Conceptualization of Mis- and Disinformation and Propaganda Via TikTok 98
5.3.1 Misinformation 100
5.3.2 Disinformation 101
5.3.3 Propaganda 102
5.4 Gen Z’s Influence on American Politics Via TikTok 103
5.5 American Politics Via TikTok Algorithm 108
References 110
6 Communication Strategies on TikTok During the 2021 Ecuadorian Presidential Election 116
6.1 Introduction 116
6.2 TikTok: Origin, Characteristics, and Popularity 117
6.2.1 Social Media Political Strategy in Latin America 118
6.2.2 Social Media Communication Strategy in Ecuador 120
6.2.3 Guillermo Lasso and Social Media Campaign 121
6.3 Research Goals and Methodology 124
6.4 Results 125
6.4.1 Followers 125
6.4.2 Frequency of Posting 125
6.4.3 Reach and Interactions 127
6.4.4 Engagement 128
6.4.5 Video Length and Music Trends 129
6.4.6 Hashtags 130
6.4.7 Narrative Axis 130
6.5 Conclusions 133
References 134
Part III Europe’s Far Right Plays TikTok: Parties’ Strategies and Users’ Reactions 138
7 OK Boomer: “Political” Discussion and User Reactions to Political Communication in Matteo Salvini’s TikTok 139
7.1 Introduction 139
7.2 TikTok and Politics 140
7.2.1 TikTok’s Affordances and Youth Political Engagement 140
7.2.2 TikTok Activism 140
7.2.3 TikTok Use by Political Actors 141
7.3 Method 142
7.3.1 Ethical Issues 143
7.4 Results 144
7.4.1 Content of the TikToks 144
7.4.2 Comments 145
7.4.3 The Comments’ Main Themes 146
7.4.4 In-Depth Analysis of Comments 147
7.4.5 Emojis 152
7.5 Conclusions 154
References 155
8 Alternative TikTok Tactics: How the German Right-Wing Populist Party AfD Plays the Platform 161
8.1 Introduction 161
8.2 Objective and Hypothesis 162
8.3 Theoretical Framework and Methodological Approach 163
8.4 Results and Discussion 163
8.4.1 TikTok Strategies in State Parliaments 164
8.4.2 The Fan Army 171
8.4.3 Fake Accounts 173
8.5 Conclusion 174
References 176
9 The Spanish Far Right’s Use of TikTok: The Case of Vox in the 2022 Regional Andalusian Election Campaign 180
9.1 Introduction 180
9.2 New Digital Strategies Applied to Political Communication 181
9.2.1 The Keys to TikTok’s Success 183
9.3 Method 183
9.4 Results 185
9.5 Discussion and Conclusions 189
References 191
Conclusions 196
References 199
Index 200

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 17.10.2023
• Reihe/Serie: The Language of Politics
• Reihe/Serie: The Language of Politics
• Zusatzinfo: XVI, 196 p. 49 illus., 46 illus. in color.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft
• Themenwelt: Mathematik / Informatik ► Informatik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Kommunikation / Medien ► Journalistik
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Kommunikation / Medien ► Kommunikationswissenschaft
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Kommunikation / Medien ► Medienwissenschaft
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Politische Systeme
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Politische Theorie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Staat / Verwaltung
• Schlagworte: Election Campaigning • Mobilization on Social Media • Political Language in Social Media • Propaganda • Social Media • TikTok
• ISBN-10: 981-99-5110-0 / 9819951100
• ISBN-13: 978-981-99-5110-9 / 9789819951109