Or: How the short-form craze on TikTok is changing election campaigns, turning voters into spectators and politicians into brands.
Are we choosing our leaders or the next bachelor?
– Ava Atkinson, U of T
introduction
The last two months have felt like everyone’s for you page has included sound bites, edits, and trends from the recent 2025 New York Mayoral election. Some of the more memorable TikTok moments from the election were Curtis Sliwa’s seventeen cats and the sound bite “The Name Is Mamdani.” This is not the first election to employ TikTok as a campaign mode, and the public is also making their own material with it. The notion of making content from elections is new, but it is quickly spreading online. Why are we all drawn to viewing this extremely dystopian material of elections as entertainment?
the past
TikTok became super popular in 2020 during Covid when everyone was isolated at home and the only form of communicating with strangers was through the internet. In November 2020, the United States held a presidential election with the candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. People globally began to closely monitor what was happening in the elections as it was highly important and crucial; the fact that everyone was stranded at home really added to the attention. One of the most viral moments of the election was Trump’s choice for Vice President, Mike Pence, having a fly on his head during a portion of the discussion. A seemingly little detail sparked a media frenzy of memes and comments. In the 2024 election we also saw even more viral moments including Kamala is “Brat”, which is in reference to the Brat album by Charli XCX which came out last year during the election. Another one was “they’re eating the dogs / they’re eating the cats” which is in reference to a racist and wrong claim that Donald Trump made during a debate with Kamala about a situation in Springfield Ohio.
what does this mean for our age?
This decade will be distinguished by several things, one of which will undoubtedly be short form content. We live in the age of distractions, and politicians have adjusted their strategy to capturing our attention by attempting to target Generation Z. This has included making several short form videos, incorporating viral sounds, and clipping their most viral and/or shocking moments from speeches and debates. With lots of content being pumped out by these campaign teams the candidate also becomes more than just themselves but a brand. Like a brand, candidates have objectives, ideals, and a story. This increases the candidate’s marketability, and just as brand marketing goes viral, so does the candidate, allowing the public to react and create content.
Why has there been such a desire to enter this new era? Well, it’s a good attention grabber. If you see your future mayor at a concert making a public appearance, you’ll have one of two reactions. “What are they doing here?” or “my mayor likes the same music as me.” Regardless, you are still talking about them, and they are receiving media attention. The perception of candidates as approachable and accessible fosters a para-social relationship between the candidate and the voter. Are we choosing our leaders or the next bachelor?
As of lately it has seemed to reach a point of contention of politics and tiktok. Taylor Swift’s latest hit song “The Fate of Ophelia” was used by the White House’s TikTok team. Taylor has openly said several times that she does not support Trump’s beliefs. Trump has made several hostile and public accusations against the pop artist, which has now left many democrats and Swifties furious but also puzzled. Does Trump know the White House is using this sound on his behalf?
According to internet opinion, not every viral sound is appropriate for use by candidates. Slowly we are starting to see political influencers and commentators starting to talk about the unseriousness of the White House’s TikTok for posting this video amid the recent and longest government shut down.
the future of short form content
Short form content TikToks by political personalities will eventually become obsolete, since people will reference them in memes. The timing and duration of the fall will be determined by how the public engages.