"I can't dance, I promise." On April 8, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted that he had officially settled on TikTok.
Scholz's office released a gif screenshot of the first TikTok video (the video is accompanied by a slow and funny bassoon music BGM, first showing the black briefcase on the sofa, and then instantly turning to Scholz in black in front of the desk)
Scholz gives a "honey smile" to the camera
From Ireland's Prime Minister-elect Simon Harris, to French President Emmanuel Macron, British Defense Secretary Shapps, to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz...... According to a Reuters report on April 8, despite the so-called "security concerns" vigorously advocated by politicians in the United States and Western countries, the social media platform TikTok has become a "fashion item" for European leaders and is widely popular in European political circles.
The report also said that as the European Parliament elections in June approach, TikTok has increasingly become a key battleground for European politicians to compete for the next generation of voters.
Ireland elects 'TikTok Prime Minister'
In March, Irish Prime Minister Ballard resigned, followed by the announcement by the Irish Unionist Party, in which Simon Harris was elected as the party's new leader. He will become Prime Minister of Ireland in April.
Harris, 37, is Ireland's Minister for Higher Education and has served as Minister for Health and Acting Minister for Justice.
Ireland's Prime Minister-elect Simon Harris is known as the "TikTok Prime Minister", the picture comes from social media (the same below)
According to reports, Harris entered TikTok as early as March 2021 and is one of the pioneers in European politics to embrace the social media platform, with a total of about 95,000 followers so far. It is worth mentioning that he is sometimes referred to as the "TikTok Prime Minister" after being elected Prime Minister.
According to the report, when she became Ireland's prime minister-designate in March, Harris immediately posted a celebration and thank you video on TikTok. In the video, Harris tells fans that he was often angry as a child because his brother lacked educational help because he was autistic, and that he has now grown from a "stubborn, moody teenager" to a prime minister.
For TikTok, German politics is "afraid and loved"
In March, Germany's health minister, Karl Lauterbach, became the country's first minister to open a TikTok account.
"The TikTok Revolution: Starting Today," he said in his first video, "we can't leave social media to the AfD." He was referring to the far-right AfD, which has quickly become the second most popular party in Germany. He also said that in order to prevent data leaks, he bought a separate phone to use TikTok.
German Health Minister Lauterbach entered TikTok in March this year
On April 8, local time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he had settled on TikTok, and he himself posted a tweet on the social media X platform: "I can't dance, I promise." Scholz said in February that he wanted the German government to open an account on TikTok to attract young voters.
According to the European edition of the American political news network "Politico EU", Scholz's office issued a statement on the same day, saying that Scholz's TikTok account, like his accounts on other social media platforms, is managed by the government press office. "The government is expanding the range of information available to citizens, who are increasingly using TikTok to learn about and discuss politics," the statement added. ”
Screenshot of Scholz's tweet
According to Reuters, the acceptance of TikTok by senior politicians in Germany is a new trend. With the upcoming elections to the European Parliament in June and the right to vote for 16-year-olds in Germany, it is particularly urgent for German politicians to win over young voters.
According to reports, among the German political parties, the AfD dominates TikTok. The party's official account has 411,000 followers, and its top candidate, Maximilian Krah, has 41,000 followers.
Carat frequently posts videos on TikTok that include encouraging students to confront left-wing teachers, giving dating advice to young people, discouraging young people from watching or voting for the Greens. He also said in a video: "Real men are right-wing, real men have ideals, real men are patriots." ”
Johannes Hillje, political adviser to the German government, said: "As a result, all the other parties are now a little panicked and do not dare to hand over this important platform and young voters to this radical party (i.e. the AfD)." Reuters also said that mainstream German politicians face a dilemma, on the one hand, they are skeptical of TikTok, and on the other hand, they are covetous of the influence of the AfD in TikTok.
英防相:我不会离开TikTok
French President Emmanuel Macron is a long-time TikTok user. In July 2020, Macron released his first TikTok video: in the gardens of the Élysée Palace, Macron in a suit congratulates high school students who have just obtained their final exam results. As of now, Macron has 4 million followers on the platform.
Macron's team said Macron would not confuse the need for regulation with TikTok's practicality. An adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: "We can't ignore this group, the vast majority of whom don't watch TV news and don't read newspapers. ”
马克龙在TikTok粉丝量已达400万
In the UK, the most senior minister with significant influence on TikTok is the Secretary of State for Defence, Grant Shapps.
Last year, the United Kingdom and Austria announced bans on TikTok for government employees to use on work devices. Shapps then responded by posting a video from the 2013 film "The Wolf of Wall Street" on TikTok.
In this video, the male lead, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, declares, "I'm not fXXking leaving." Shapps added that he did not oppose the ban but had never used TikTok on government devices either.
The British defense minister posted a video on TikTok in March last year "I won't fucking leave"
"The European election is imminent, and TikTok has become a key battleground"
Elections to the new European Parliament are scheduled for June this year. The European Parliament elections are held every five years, and this election will be the first European Parliament election after Brexit, and is regarded as the "weather vane" of European politics. Previously, some media pointed out that looking at the whole of Europe, this year will be a year of "turning right", which is a great variable for the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other international hot issues.
In recent years, TikTok has become a thorn in the side of politicians in the United States and Western countries, and is subject to increasing security and privacy scrutiny. For example, the United Kingdom and Austria banned government employees from using TikTok on their work phones last year, Germany's security agencies warned against using TikTok, citing security concerns, and the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a divestiture bill that would require Chinese tech company ByteDance to divest TikTok within 165 days......
However, as Europe's elections approach, mainstream European politicians are increasingly worried that TikTok has become the domain of marginal parties.
A report by the Reuters Institute for Journalism last year found that fewer people trust traditional media and more people turn to TikTok for news. TikTok is the fastest-growing social network in the report, with 20% of 18- to 24-year-olds using TiKTok for news advisories.
And the European edition of the American political news network "Politico EU" found in March that between February 15 and March 8, 186 of the 705 MEPs were active on TikTok, a quarter of them from right-wing and far-right groups, and only a very small number of far-left parliamentarians could match it. Analysts and political advisers agree that social media, especially TikTok, has become a key battleground for European politicians to compete for the next generation of voters.
In Belgium, government ministers and civil servants are banned from installing TikTok on work devices, but politicians have chosen to circumvent this rule. A spokesman for the Green Party, one of the ruling coalitions, said: "Another reason we use TikTok is that we don't want to leave this space to the far left or the far right. Young people get their news through social media, and TikTok is one of the biggest platforms. Some politicians are comfortable with this, others are not. ”
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