The Influence of Short-Form Video Platforms on Politics and Elections

Short-form video platforms are reshaping how political messages reach the public. At Erker Strategies, we specialize in helping political actors use these platforms effectively. Below you can find an evidence-based overview of how parties, candidates, and movements across Western democracies are using short-form content, not just for attention, but to influence real-world outcomes. Whether you're a campaign team or a policy organization, understanding these trends is key to staying relevant in today’s political communication landscape..

Rise of Short-Form Video in Politics

Short-form video platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have seen rapid growth. The 2025 Digital News Report found that video is now a primary way for people to access news: the share of people in 48 countries who consume social video increased from 52% in 2020 to 65% in 2025, and the share watching any online video rose from 67% to 75% (Reuters Institute, 2025). TikTok is the fastest-growing network; in 2025 it reached 49% of internet users in Thailand and 40% in Malaysia.

Young people are driving this change – more than half of U.S. adults aged 18–24 now cite social media/video networks as their main news source (Pew Research, 2024). Platforms and political strategists have capitalised on this shift. TikTok had roughly 24 million users in Germany by 2024 and 36 million users in the Philippines by 2022 (DataReportal, 2022). In Western democracies, TikTok has become a vehicle for parties to build brand awareness: Germany’s AfD produces up to 2,000 original posts per day to court younger voters (Tagesschau, 2024); Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was the most followed British politician on the platform with more than one million followers (The Times, 2024); and U.S. governor Tim Walz gained one million followers within days of launching his account.

Spending on Short-Form and Digital Campaigns

Unlike Meta and Google, TikTok does not allow paid political ads, yet campaigns invest heavily in digital video and influencer collaborations. The Brennan Center estimated that parties and outside groups spent at least $1.9 billion on online ads in the 2024 U.S. election across Meta, Google, Snap and X; Meta alone accounted for more than $1 billion and Google $846 million (Brennan Center, 2024).

Because TikTok bans paid political advertising, there is no official figure for spending on the platform. However, campaigns pay influencer agencies and creators:

  • U.S. Democratic campaigns spent over $4 million on influencer marketing.

  • Trump’s 2020 campaign paid nearly $1.8 million to a single influencer marketing firm.

  • In Southeast Asia, creators received up to $4,700/month for political videos (The Diplomat, 2022)

  • In the UK’s 2024 general election, Labour spent over £1.2 million on digital ads in the final week, while the Conservatives spent ~£350,000. Labour also posted 54 TikTok videos compared to 14 by the Tories (Sky News, 2024).

Influencer fees typically range between $5,000 and $100,000 per post depending on reach (Brennan Center, 2024).While these costs are lower than classical paid adds, many have pivoted to creating their own content, as short form video makes it relativly easy to gain a large audience in a short amount of time, making organic short form content an attracvie option.

Followers and Reach vs. Election Results

In the 2024 U.S. election, Donald Trump launched a TikTok account in June and gained over 6 million followers, while President Biden’s account reached 373,000 (Stanford Internet Observatory, 2024). Despite the follower gap, the popular vote margin was narrow: Trump won with 49.8%, Biden/Harris with 48.3%. A margin of 230,000 votes in three states could have flipped the result (NPR, 2024).

Tim Walz gained 1 million followers within 3 days of launching his TikTok. JD Vance had ~866,000 followers; Jill Stein had only ~71,000 (SIO, 2024).

In Germany, AfD’s Bundestag account has over 500,000 followers; party leader Alice Weidel nearly 1 million. Die Linke’s Heidi Reichinnek reached 6 million views on a viral video, helping the party rise from <5% to nearly 9% in Bremen (Tagesschau, 2024).

In the UK, Nigel Farage had more than 1 million followers, and one Reform UK video reached 4.9 million views. Reform had 14× higher engagement per TikTok post than major parties. In April 2025, Labour published 296 TikTok videos (116,895 interactions); Reform published fewer but received 916,922 (The Times, 2025). Still, Labour won the majority of seats. TikTok’s youth-dominated audience is less likely to vote, so real-world impact varies (Sky News, 2025). Generally a large online reach can amplify existing narratives but is less effective in completlely reversing public opinion, especailly with older audiences.

Public Attitudes and Misinformation

A 2024 Pew Research study showed 95% of TikTok users cite entertainment as their main use, 36% follow politics, and only ~10% post political content. 45% report encountering political videos regularly. On the platform’s democratic impact, 49% said it has no influence, 33% said mostly positive, 17% said mostly negative.

The Reuters Institute found 47% of users blame influencers as a top source of misinformation. 58% said they would struggle to identify false content online (Reuters Institute, 2025). Bongbong Marcos’ coordinated networks in the Philippines used TikTok to reframe his family’s image (The Diplomat, 2022).

Summary

  • Reach & Demographics: TikTok’s algorithm rapidly spreads engaging content, giving visibility to outsiders or populist voices. With the right strategy, establishged parties can push back. This can be done with a low budget in comparison to classical adds, as short form content allows for high organic reach. Especially youth audiences dominate and can shift discourse.

  • Cost-effectiveness: With no political ads allowed, influence comes through cheaper production or creator partnerships. Influencer fees are modest compared to traditional TV or Google ads.

  • Engagement & Results: High online engagement doesn't guarantee seats. Trump and Farage both had strong reach but limited results. But small parties like Die Linke benefited locally. The right strategy, balancing attention with content is nessesary to translate reach into voting power.

  • Moderation Challenges: Short videos are ideal for misinfo. AfD networks and Marcos’ campaigns show how easily platforms can be exploited. TikTok enforces some moderation, but enforcement remains patchy. It is essential for democratic parties to reverse this trend with thier own online activities.

Short-form video is now central to modern campaigning. It allows parties to reach voters directly, particularly young ones, and reduces reliance on mainstream media. While not always predictive of election wins, TikTok and similar platforms shape public perception, and policymakers must respond to their growing influence and risks.

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