Does anyone remember when Donald Trump was feuding with TikTok and threatening to “use his executive powers to ban it”?
Well, four years later, on June 2, he decided to open an account on perhaps the most popular social media platform today, now amassing over 12 million followers. The former president only follows his vice-presidential pick, J.D. Vance, and his campaign account, “Team Trump.”
Let’s be honest; we’re not talking about the most consistent person on the planet—someone (not so unkindly) might say quite the opposite. But he’s certainly someone who knows where to find free space for unlimited exposure, and, if nothing else, TikTok is the perfect platform for that.
Nearly twenty-five days after Trump, Kamala Harris also decided to create a (much more) official account shortly after receiving the Democratic nomination to face off against Trump, as the current president, Joe Biden’s campaign was not doing particularly well. Since February 2024, she has also maintained the “Kamala HQ” account, dedicated solely to memes, which has 4.8 million followers.
Her official account follower count is about half of Trump’s, with over 6 million followers as of 07/26. She follows six accounts, but we can’t see who they are.
The way Kamala Harris uses TikTok, a favorite platform of Gen Z, reinforces the nickname given to her by Jordan Hoffman in Foreign Policy: “America’s Fun Aunt” (or, less freely translated, “the funny aunt of America”) and meme queen.
Trump, for his part, isn’t far behind. His somewhat awkward dances at campaign rallies might also be aimed at the TikTok audience, which rewards him with memes and viral moments.
Let’s set aside these two rivals, who will soon compete for the title of the next global leader.
A Pew Research Center study shows that for 48% of young people under 30, staying up-to-date with current events is a major (or at least minor) reason for having a TikTok account. In fact, 52% use TikTok for their news. So far, so good. But let’s see what else Pew Research Center has to say.
Only 0.4% of accounts follow journalists or traditional media outlets. So, how do they stay informed? Through content creators who selectively share news or information sourced from traditional media.
As trust in mainstream media declines and fewer people read the news, TikTok has become an ideal source of personal updates for the average twenty-something.
This situation is significant, and we can no longer overlook the fact that TikTok, with its pros and (many) cons, serves as a news source for hundreds of millions of users. Nor should we panic, as we sometimes do about AI “taking our jobs” (side note: it’s not AI taking our jobs, but rather employers who hand them over to AI. Moving on).
The company, for its part, is investing billions in trust, safety, and election integrity. Not that this is necessarily enough, of course.
In any case, U.S. elections are always a useful lens for observing the impact of social media on the public—in this case, the American public.
As Jordan Hoffman notes in Foreign Policy, “The 2016 U.S. presidential election was undoubtedly the Facebook election, the era when the unfortunate term ‘fake news’ took off. (…) In 2020, it was Twitter’s turn, where people could find up-to-the-minute COVID-19 statistics. (…) Now, in 2024, a growing number of our culture’s recurring memes have their origins on TikTok.”
Social media have always been a powerful yet risky tool, especially for those in power, as they provide an easy way to spread misinformation, among other things. For example, if Trump’s vice-presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, were to post on social media that immigrants in Springfield are eating residents’ pets, and Trump himself confirmed it live during a debate with Kamala Harris, saying, “They are eating the dogs, they are eating the cats,” the “news” would already be out there, and it would be compelling.
Sure, journalists fact-checked and debunked it afterward. But for the average racist Trump supporter, it still stands as news.
Incidentally, the phrase “They are eating the dogs, they are eating the cats” has become a meme and a beat and has been used in various ways across social media. I don’t know how Trump feels about becoming a meme again (and I imagine he doesn’t care if I know or not), but are we certain that a biting, satirical, or critical meme about a politician always negatively impacts them?
Probably not, I’d say. Moving on.
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