The German YouTuber Mirko Drotschmann views TikTok as a threat to the parliamentary culture. “The AfD started early to focus on social media and generated targeted clips of their speeches and other parties are slowly following suit. I consider this ‘Tiktokization’ of the Bundestag a challenging development” said the knowledge journalist, also known as MrWissen2go, in an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.
“It’s almost only about sensationalism, polarization and emotionalization instead of the issue” Drotschmann said, criticizing the platform’s ease of use. “TikTok has its own, not uncomplicated language. I’ve never heard of some trends either.” This, he believes, poses the risk of “Bauchlandungen” (a German term for a loss of authenticity).
In a clip comment, Drotschmann criticized a video by Culture Minister Claudia Roth and the Green Youth’s leadership duo, who adopted the trend “We listen and we don’t judge”: “The Green’s video picked up a TikTok trend – and I think that went wrong. You can tell when someone is not authentic. Olaf Scholz, for instance, had a similar ‘Bauchlandung’ when he posted a video of himself carrying a bag on TikTok. Even such failures bring attention.”
On the other hand, MrWissen2go sees the platform as a cause of political success: “The Left, for example, has gained ground on TikTok, particularly their top candidate Heidi Reichinnek. When the Left’s opinion polls doubled, Reichinnek’s social media team likely deserves some of the credit.”
According to Drotschmann, the parties have ignored essential topics among the 2.3 million first-time voters, such as the education system: “Many young people are concerned about why our schools are not being renovated, why we are still using old technology and why there is not enough [education]” he said.
“In schools, I always hear the question: Is the Third World War coming? Young people are looking for answers from politics, but they are not finding them. And the fact that voting is not possible at the federal level for those under 18, as agreed in the coalition contract, but is now being delayed, is a major disappointment for many young people” Drotschmann concluded.