Politics on TikTok? Carlos Moedas “arrived” and wants to show “behind the scenes” of the Lisbon Chamber
“Hello TikTokers! I arrived.” It was with this message that Carlos Moedas decided to open a new account on the social network Tik Tok. In the first video he published, he showed a room where he works, at Lisbon City Hall and the work of Vhils. However, he has also published another video that has the participation of Isabel Diaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid. In two days, the account has already surpassed 500 followers.
The TikTok platform recorded lower demand during and, data from We Are Social, brings together a large number of young people – the highest percentage of users are under 34 years old. The sharing of short videos, with music, choreography or comic nature are the most appreciative, but there is a little bit of everything.
In Portugal, this social network does not (yet) have a major impact on politics, but in other countries, TikTok has become an ally to get the message from politicians to young people. In Brazil – where they will compete within a few months – Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro already have accounts and compete for the highest level of activity – better known as “engagement”.
An article from BBC Brazil that the two candidates for the October presidential elections are betting on digital strategies that attract the vote of the younger electorate.
This recognized social network- being able to impact a vote: in Colombia, Rodolfo Hernández, 77, had 622.3 million followers when he presented himself as a candidate for “old” President. The achievement of second place in the election – with 28.15% of the votes – was a surprise that, according to analysts cited by the Bloombergwas influenced by his participation in TikTok.
Although TikTok has not yet had an impact on Portuguese politics, it is certain that social networks are already part of the campaign strategy. Twitter stood out after the legislative laws, who doesn’t remember the exchange of comments between the main candidates, of Zé Albino – Rui Rio’s cat – having appeared in one?