Where Algorithms Meet Elections: How Short-Form Video is Reshaping Political Communication in Germany
April 1, 2025
The data used and shown in this article is taken from Meyer et al. (2024)
The landscape of political campaigning has undergone a dramatic transformation. Social media platforms now dominate, particularly among younger voters, and TikTok has become a key player in German political discourse. Its short-form video format is highly effective at capturing attention, even from those not traditionally interested in politics. The platform’s ability to spread information rapidly, combined with its visual and auditory appeal, has made it essential for political parties seeking to connect with voters in new and innovative ways. As FDP’s Christian Dürr noted, TikTok’s popularity among young people makes a strong political presence on the platform crucial for any party hoping to remain relevant in the modern age. This shift has forced parties to adapt their communication strategies, moving away from traditional methods and embracing the fast-paced, dynamic nature of online content. Gen Z voters do not seem to just receive political messages differently – they’re experiencing politics through an entirely new prism where authenticity trumps authority.
The snap 2025 German federal election, triggered by the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition in November 2024 due to budget disagreements, underscored the need for agile and responsive campaign strategies. The compressed timeline forced parties to leverage platforms like TikTok to efficiently reach voters, particularly the digitally-native youth, who are often less engaged with traditional media. This election highlighted the platform’s unique ability to mobilize large numbers of voters in a short period, making it a critical battleground for political influence. The outcome of the election would likely hinge on the parties’ ability to effectively utilize TikTok to convey their messages and connect with this vital demographic.
Our network visualization peels back the digital curtain on this fascinating ecosystem. The connections between political figures reveal a landscape where the traditional left-right spectrum bends and twists into something more complex. A progressive cluster pulses at the heart of the map – Greens, SPD, and FDP accounts intertwined in digital conversation, mirroring their real-world coalition experiment. The Left Party plays an unexpected role as digital broker, bridging ideological islands that rarely connect in parliamentary debates.
Meanwhile, the CDU exists in a curious limbo – present but somehow disconnected from the platform’s native energy, like visitors speaking a second language. Perhaps most telling is the AfD’s distinct network structure – a parallel universe of political communication occasionally reaching tendrils into mainstream discourse through calculated provocation.
The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) distinguished itself by establishing an early and systematic presence on TikTok, recognizing the platform’s potential long before many of its mainstream counterparts. Their strategy emphasized short, emotionally charged videos with lurid headlines and capital letters to quickly capture user attention and establish their narrative. AfD representatives even adapted their parliamentary speeches to fit the concise and emotionally resonant TikTok format. They also utilized the ‘vlog’ or selfie mode, speaking directly to users to foster a sense of authenticity and personal connection, further solidifying their grip on the platform’s discourse.
The party prioritized quantity and regularity of content over high production quality, effectively flooding the platform with videos and ensuring their message was consistently heard. Beyond their official accounts, the AfD mobilized a broad network of supporters and influencers to amplify their messages, including the establishment of a “shadow-army” of accounts. This organized effort significantly expanded the AfD’s presence and influence on the platform. The AfD strategically leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) to generate a high volume of audio, video, and image content, perfectly suited to TikTok’s short, entertaining, and emotional format. This included the creation of metaphorical images, content critical of foreigners, and material glorifying party leader Alice Weidel.
AI also played a role in developing viral cultural elements, such as the ‘Deportation song,’ which was used as a soundtrack in AfD videos and played at their events. As of February 2025, the AfD’s official TikTok account had amassed over 567,000 followers and garnered more than seven million likes, underscoring their significant presence and engagement on the platform. Furthermore, the AfD’s success on TikTok can be attributed to their keen understanding and effective adaptation to the platform’s content recommendation algorithm. They recognized that user engagement plays a crucial role in boosting algorithmic visibility and strategically tailored their content and format to align with the platform’s dynamics. This involved a multi-pronged approach, as detailed in a report by the Center for Digital Action. Their strategy emphasized the creation of short, emotionally charged videos featuring lurid headlines and subtitles in capital letters to quickly capture user attention.
AfD politicians frequently utilized the ‘vlog’ or selfie mode, speaking directly to users to foster a sense of authenticity and personal connection. These videos often began with a provocative hook, followed by a brief emotional message and a clear call to action. The party also prioritized quantity and regularity of content over high production quality, effectively flooding the platform with videos. This understanding that consistent posting is key to maintaining visibility on TikTok further contributed to their dominance.
In contrast to the AfD’s early and assertive engagement, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) exhibited a more cautious and somewhat later approach to TikTok. While the SPD parliamentary group had an account active since 2021, the launch of a dedicated account for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s team only occurred on April 8, 2024. The primary objective of Chancellor Scholz’s TikTok presence was to connect with younger voters, who increasingly rely on the platform for news and political information. Despite security concerns surrounding the Chinese-owned platform, Chancellor Scholz himself acknowledged the government’s need to establish a presence on TikTok to effectively reach this demographic. The content shared on the “teambundeskanzler” account included short videos addressing policy issues, responding to user questions, covering political events, and offering behind-the-scenes glimpses into the Chancellor’s daily work. This more measured approach reflects the SPD’s attempt to balance the need for digital engagement with a desire to maintain a more traditional, policy-focused narrative.
The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) demonstrated a more reserved approach to TikTok, primarily citing concerns regarding data security and the platform’s potential for misuse. Despite the party’s official reservations, individual CDU/CSU lawmakers, including prominent figures like Friedrich Merz, did recognize the strategic importance of TikTok and maintained a presence on the platform, indicating an internal struggle between institutional caution and the need to compete for attention in the digital sphere.
Bündnis 90/The Greens (Die Grünen) were among the later entrants to the TikTok political landscape. A central element of the Greens’ TikTok strategy appeared to be an effort to directly counter the strong presence of the AfD on the platform and challenge their narrative dominance. This was evident in their adoption of the hashtag #ReclaimTikTok. The Greens’ initial content often featured prominent party members like Robert Habeck engaging directly with citizens, with Habeck notably filming interactions at people’s homes. This approach aimed to foster a sense of direct connection and accessibility with voters, presenting an alternative narrative to that of the AfD.
The Free Democratic Party (FDP) holds the distinction of being the first major German political party to become active on TikTok, having joined the platform in November 2020. Despite their early entry and the active participation of key figures, the FDP’s performance on TikTok, as indicated by rankings and overall impact, appeared weaker compared to the AfD. This suggests that being an early adopter is not a guarantee of success and that an effective and consistently evolving content strategy is crucial for sustained engagement and influence in the ongoing battle for narrative control.
Die Linke (The Left) joined the TikTok platform relatively late, in August 2023. However, despite their later entry, they managed to cultivate a strong presence on social media, including TikTok, which played a significant role in their unexpected surge in support, particularly among younger voters. A key factor in their success was the prominent role of their leading co-candidate, Heidi Reichinnek, whose passionate speeches, often critical of the CDU leader Friedrich Merz, gained significant traction and went viral on the platform. Reichinnek’s ability to connect with younger audiences through her authentic and engaging communication style, combined with the party’s focus on salient social issues such as affordable housing, fair tax policies, and opposition to the rise of the far-right, proved to be a powerful combination. This strategic use of TikTok not only increased their visibility but also allowed them to frame the political discourse around issues that resonated strongly with young people. The 2025 election results reflected Die Linke’s success in engaging this demographic, as they emerged as the strongest party among voters aged 18 to 24, demonstrating the power of a compelling counter-narrative in capturing attention and shifting the political discourse. Their strategic use of TikTok not only increased their visibility but also contributed to a significant increase in their overall vote share compared to the previous election, underscoring the platform’s potential for even late entrants to achieve substantial electoral impact. Specifically, their focus on social justice issues and Reichinnek’s ability to articulate these concerns in a way that resonated with younger voters on TikTok likely played a crucial role in mobilizing this demographic.
The landscape of political campaigning has undergone a dramatic transformation. Where once smoke-filled backrooms and stump speeches held sway, social media platforms now reign supreme as vital instruments for reaching and engaging an increasingly fragmented electorate. Among these digital contenders, TikTok has emerged as a particularly potent force, especially among the coveted younger demographics, rapidly establishing itself as a crucial arena for contemporary political discourse. TikTok’s signature short-form video format, with its inherent capacity to capture attention and compress complex issues into easily digestible snippets, has proven remarkably effective in engaging even those traditionally indifferent to the machinations of politics. The platform’s ability to disseminate information with lightning speed, combined with its emphasis on visually arresting and aurally engaging content, has made it an indispensable tool for political parties seeking to forge connections with voters in novel and innovative ways. As Christian Dürr of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) astutely observed, the platform’s ubiquity among young people makes a robust political presence not just advisable, but essential.
I was recently involved in research by Meyer et al. (2024), which provides deeper insights into the AfD’s sophisticated TikTok strategy. Analyzing thousands of AfD videos during the 2024 European election campaign, they identified three distinct types of populist messaging that drive the party’s remarkable engagement rates on the platform:
“The AfD’s approach on TikTok suggests a potential recalibration of populist communication tactics to suit the preferences and norms of specific social media platforms and audiences. This adaptation challenges traditional theories of populist discourse and suggests the need for updated frameworks that take into account platform-specific dynamics—as well as forms of populism that may not be solely anti-elitist and outgroup-oriented, but much more connected to real-world experiences of voters in an evermore challenging world”
— Meyer et al. (2024)
The snap 2025 German federal election, triggered by the unexpected collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government in November 2024 amidst acrimonious disagreements over budgetary policy, served to further underscore the critical importance of adaptable and agile campaign strategies. This abrupt disruption of the political landscape compressed the traditional campaign timeline, creating a pressure cooker environment that amplified the urgency for parties to leverage the unparalleled reach of social media platforms like TikTok to connect with voters efficiently and effectively. The imperative to rapidly engage a broad and diverse electorate, with a particular focus on the digitally native younger generation, compelled parties to invest significant resources and creative energy into their TikTok strategies, transforming the platform into a key battleground for hearts and minds.
A significant investigation conducted by the international non-governmental organization Global Witness shed light on the potential influence of TikTok’s content recommendation algorithm during the lead-up to the 2025 German federal election. The findings revealed a significant right-leaning bias in the political content recommended by TikTok’s algorithm, with 74% to 78% of the partisan content shown being supportive of the AfD. This was corroborated by other research efforts, including a study by the University of Potsdam that found new users on TikTok without any prior stated political interests had a 3 to 4 times higher likelihood of being exposed to content from the AfD compared to content from mainstream political parties within just three weeks of using the platform. The Meyer et al. (2024) study provides additional insights into how the AfD’s content strategy interacts with TikTok’s algorithm. Their analysis of engagement metrics revealed that the AfD achieves an exceptionally high engagement rate of around 10%—far exceeding both professional TikTok benchmarks and the performance of other German political parties. While the AfD certainly benefits from algorithmic amplification, their success is also driven by a deliberate content strategy:
The snap 2025 German federal election, triggered by the unexpected collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government in November 2024 amidst acrimonious disagreements over budgetary policy, served to further underscore the critical importance of adaptable and agile campaign strategies. This abrupt disruption of the political landscape compressed the traditional campaign timeline, creating a pressure cooker environment that amplified the urgency for parties to leverage the unparalleled reach of social media platforms like TikTok to connect with voters efficiently and effectively. The imperative to rapidly engage a broad and diverse electorate, with a particular focus on the digitally native younger generation, compelled parties to invest significant resources and creative energy into their TikTok strategies, transforming the platform into a key battleground for hearts and minds.
The election itself was a watershed moment, marked by an extraordinary surge in voter turnout, with 83.5% of eligible citizens casting their ballots. This remarkable level of participation can be attributed, at least in part, to TikTok’s undeniable role in mobilizing young voters and galvanizing political engagement among first-time and previously disengaged segments of the population. The platform’s unique capacity to render political content more accessible and relatable through its dynamic blend of short-form videos and trending audio appears to have been instrumental in fostering a sense of civic duty and encouraging participation, particularly within the context of the political uncertainty that followed the coalition’s collapse. This phenomenon suggests that social media platforms are rapidly evolving from mere entertainment channels to powerful engines of civic engagement, with a profound and growing influence on the very fabric of the electoral process.
Several factors contributed to TikTok’s growing importance in the German political landscape. Firstly, the platform’s user base is heavily skewed towards younger demographics, who are often less engaged with traditional news media and political institutions. As these young people become eligible to vote, political parties are increasingly recognizing the need to reach them where they are: on social media platforms like TikTok. Secondly, TikTok’s algorithm is designed to prioritize engaging content, which often means videos that are visually appealing, emotionally resonant, and easily shareable. This has led to a shift in political communication, with parties increasingly focusing on creating short, punchy videos that can capture attention in a crowded digital space. Finally, the 2025 election took place in a context of heightened political polarization and a rapidly evolving media landscape. In this environment, TikTok provided a space for alternative voices and perspectives to be heard, potentially influencing the way voters perceived the different parties and their platforms.
This article will delve into the multifaceted and increasingly complex role of TikTok in the lead-up to the 2025 German federal election. It will analyze the diverse and often radically different strategies employed by the major political parties as they navigated this uncharted digital territory, examine the powerful influence of the platform’s intricate content recommendation algorithms, and, ultimately, grapple with the profound implications of this new media landscape for the health and future of democratic processes in Germany.
Party affiliation and community detection (Louvain algorithm) show similar network patterns. Political parties remain primarily in bubbles with minimal communal overlap.
Greens, Social Democrats, Free Democrats and Left Party form a close network. The Left Party bridges between Far Right AfD and Greens, while Conservatives show distance from AfD, and BSW connects with CDU.
All major parties seem to have adapted to the new reality of political communication and voter acquisition and established a wide platform of different accounts. And eventhough a left wing coalition would outnumber any rightwing platform by nominal account number, in the end counts how many potencial voters a party can reach. A category that the far right AfD is the uncontested heavyweight.
The AfD's dominance on TikTok is not just a matter of having a large number of accounts; it's also about the sheer volume of content they produce and the effectiveness of their messaging. While other parties may have a presence on the platform, they often struggle to match the AfD's output and engagement levels. This disparity is evident in the fact that most parties seem to have trouble even reaching the amount of followers of the median AfD politician. This suggests that the AfD has either attracted a larger following to begin with, or it is better at converting viewers into followers.
The strategy that the AfD seems to follow succesfully, is controlling the discourse by mass alone. During a good month, the AfD would post about 800 videos on TikTok, an amount exceeding the total amount of all other parties. This relentless focus on quantity, combined with their skill in crafting engaging and provocative content, allows them to saturate the platform and capture a disproportionate share of user attention.
Officials connect primarily with ideologically similar members while also maintaining links with ideological opposites.
"Keep friends close, enemies closer" - Parties leverage platform effects from ideological allies while monitoring opponents.
The network reveals little to no cross-partisan engagement, suggesting a more functional net of political actors.
Data Source: TikTok Research API
The 2025 German federal election unequivocally demonstrated TikTok’s transformative role in contemporary political campaigning. The platform served as a critical battleground for parties seeking to connect with voters, particularly the younger generation. The documented algorithmic bias favoring pro-AfD content raises serious concerns about the neutrality of the information environment in which voter mobilization occurred. While Die Linke’s success in engaging young voters through compelling content and the viral popularity of their leading candidate Heidi Reichinnek suggests that strong messaging can overcome some algorithmic biases, the overall trend points to a potential skewing of the political information landscape. The election also highlighted the persistent challenges of misinformation and platform integrity. Despite TikTok’s stated efforts to combat harmful content and inauthentic behavior, the presence of “murky” accounts and the emergence of AI-generated disinformation underscores the evolving threats to democratic processes in the digital age.
The 2025 German federal election serves as a compelling case study in the growing significance of TikTok in political campaigning. The platform’s ability to mobilize voters, its susceptibility to algorithmic bias, and the ongoing challenges of misinformation necessitate further research and thoughtful consideration of potential regulatory frameworks to ensure a fair and balanced digital information environment for future elections. Political parties must now navigate a complex digital landscape where algorithm-driven platforms can significantly influence public discourse. Understanding the mechanics of these platforms and developing strategies that effectively reach voters while maintaining ethical standards will be crucial for future electoral success. As we move forward, the tension between the need for political engagement on popular platforms and the imperative to safeguard against foreign influence and data security risks remains a critical consideration for policymakers and political actors alike. The digital constellations revealed in our analysis show us how Germany’s political future is being shaped not just in committee rooms but in the invisible architecture of algorithms and attention economies that define our new public square.