Recently, TikTok has settled in another Western leader, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Before starting his visit to China, Scholz posted his first content on TikTok through his new account TeamBundeskanzler.
In order to attract more young voters, more and more European politicians have been active on TikTok in recent years, sharing details of their lives from time to time, and from time to time "slapping" the camera to their faces to interact directly with the audience. Actively embracing TikTok is becoming a new trend in European politics.
Scholz's video has a maximum of 3.5 million views
As of press time, Scholz had posted a total of 17 short videos on TikTok. On the 15th, a video of Bosch Hydrogen Power Systems Chongqing Co., Ltd. experiencing the assembly received 1.709 million views, and a video of a tour of the Bund and downtown area in Shanghai posted on the same day received 281,000 views. The most popular video was Scholz's video showing off his famous, long-worn black briefcase, which was viewed 3.5 million times.
Scholz is not the first German politician to launch TikTok. Before him, Lauterbach, the SPD's health minister, had already been a sneak peek in March. Before Lauterbach, many key members of the right-wing AfD had already taken the lead. The AfD currently has an average of more than 400,000 views per short video posted, ranking first among German political parties and much higher than the FDP, which ranks second.
As early as July 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron entered TikTok, and the first video he published at that time was to congratulate high school students who did well in their final exams. Now Macron has gained 4.2 million followers on TikTok and has become an out-and-out "Internet celebrity".
But if there is one French politician who is most adept at playing with social media, I am afraid there is another person. When asked which politician was most impressed by his social performance, Berson, a French student on exchange in Shanghai, said without hesitation in an interview with this newspaper: "Mélenchon!" As a veteran of social media, the veteran French left-wing politician Mélenchon has 2.3 million followers on TikTok alone, second only to Macron, and has received 38.5 million likes. Not only that, but his followers on YouTube have reached 1.01 million, and the number of followers on X is as high as 2.73 million, for which he was also awarded the title of "Older New Media Expert".
For Mélenchon, social media is his new battleground for attracting voters and expressing his political views, often quoting the lyrics of popular songs to satirize Macron's and other campaign rivals. In order to allow more young and middle-aged voters to hear his voice, he is deeply involved in social media and emerging technologies, and has previously used 3D holographic projection technology at election rallies to allow himself to appear at six election sites at the same time.
Compared with Macron, Mélenchon and other senior politicians, Ireland's newly elected Prime Minister Harris has not many TikTok followers (currently 99,000), but Harris's vibrant, energetic and down-to-earth content has earned him the nickname "Ireland's TikTok Prime Minister". Harris updates TikTok almost every day, often posts videos of himself going out to exchange handshakes with people, and also goes into battle to record his work plan.
European politicians: It's not easy to say that it's not easy to say no
The German government had previously been wary of officials opening up TikTok for fear of data leaks. So what is the reason for the German government to let Scholz take the lead in demonstrating the use of TikTok? The secret lies in the influence of TikTok. Although many politicians in Germany and Europe still use social media such as Instagram and X, TikTok has surpassed Instagram and Youtube in the global use of short video media, ranking first. According to the interpretation of the French media, no matter which political party, they are using social networks to target young people. It's a tactic to attract young voters. "When they answer common questions or respond directly to public opinion through the camera, it makes you feel closer, and that's what we like. We young people love authenticity. Tom, a 23-year-old French worker, said.
"We can't ignore the demographic that uses TikTok because the vast majority of them don't watch TV news or read newspapers. One of Macron's advisers told Reuters. According to a report, more and more people are turning to TikTok for news, with 20% of 18- to 24-year-olds worldwide using TikTok for news. Chaybi, a member of the European Parliament from France's left-wing party, who has 180,000 followers on TikTok, often talks about the European Parliament's behind-the-scenes and workflows, as well as in-depth debates about the role of lobbies in parliament. TikTok is a visual representation of how the European Parliament operates, which in turn fosters young people's interest in politics. Especially in the context of the upcoming European Parliament elections, social platforms have become a new way for parliamentarians to compete for votes.
Another important factor in the large number of European politicians entering TikTok is to avoid making TikTok a turf for political opponents. According to statistics, a quarter of all MEPs active TikTok users come from right-wing and far-right groups. Lisa, a 23-year-old French student, said: "Sometimes I watch videos of political parties that are contrary to my values, just because it attracts me because of its background music, which keeps me on the video, even if I don't agree with it." ”
In Germany, the far-right AfD has more than 400,000 followers on TikTok. In the face of the European Parliament elections and the German general election more than a year later, Germany's ruling coalition will not give up this social platform with huge influence and vote appeal.
Text: Wang Beihua, a correspondent of this newspaper in Berlin
Reporter Shen Qinhan
Pictured: Screenshot of social media
Editor: Gu Wenjun