ABSTRACT
Introduction:
This article explores the strategic use of TikTok by Brazilian politicians, focusing on its unique affordances, the platform's interactive features, and audience engagement strategies. We distinguished between the utilization of the platform by right-wing and left-wing political profiles and conducted an in-depth analysis of the language employed by politicians, including choreographies, dubbing, engaging in trends, among others.
Materials and methods:
We stemmed from a database containing approximately 23,000 videos posted on TikTok by a set of 265 active politician profiles. From this extensive dataset, we selected a random sample of 378 publications. Subsequently, we conducted a content analysis to identify the utilization of language resources and platform-specific functionalities, such as vertical framing, filters, soundtracks, visual effects, among other aspects. Our study's hypotheses were as follows: (H1) Politicians within our sample are less inclined to incorporate popular features and formats typically associated with TikTok; and (H2) These profiles tend to abstain from employing playful, apolitical language with references to entertainment.
Findings:
Contrary to our initial hypothesis (H1), most of the content produced by these politicians effectively incorporates popular features and formats characteristic of TikTok. Conversely, our findings confirmed hypothesis H2. Within the observed sample, approximately 65% of videos shared by these profiles lack playful elements and make no reference to entertainment. As for content with an apolitical tone, approximately 63% lack this trait. Furthermore, our analysis revealed a pronounced absence of efforts to engage with audiences, with approximately 90.5% of the published content lacking any form of interactive elements.
Discussion:
An efficient use of TikTok as a strategic tool demands a thorough understanding of the platform's unique dynamics. Our study identified which strategies generate higher engagement within the platform and examined how political figures allocate their efforts in pursuing these forms of engagement. Notably, content containing attacks and defamatory remarks often spurs numerous comments, whereas apolitical content, such as dances and lip syncs, typically garners more views and likes. Our data provides valuable insights into political content production strategies on digital platforms and underscores disparities in the utilization of these creative repertoires by left-wing and right-wing politicians.
Keywords
professional politicians; political communication; digital platforms; TikTok; content analysis