Title: TikTok Not the Place for Presidential News, Pew Study Reveals
The 2024 presidential election is just around the corner, and there’s been much speculation about where American voters are getting their news and engaging with candidates. A new survey suggests that TikTok might not be the go-to platform for political updates.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center, the typical U.S. adult on TikTok follows no politicians, civil actors, traditional media outlets, or journalists. In fact, the categories mentioned above made up less than half a percent of the total accounts followed by surveyed users. On the other hand, accounts that post about pop culture and entertainment were the most popular, making up 56 percent of the followed accounts.
Many TikTokers create content that balances pop culture news, vlogs, and dance videos while also speaking out on political issues they care about. For example, some popular creators participated in initiatives supporting Palestine. Interestingly, 43 percent of surveyed users follow accounts that post a mix of pop culture and entertainment news as well as politics.
The study also explored who users follow versus what content they actually engage with regularly. This is important because the For You Page on TikTok surfaces content based on an algorithm. A previous Pew study found that 39 percent of adults under 30 get their news from the platform.
The combination of these findings suggests that users don’t rely on trusted sources they follow to stay up-to-date on news. Instead, they might be exposed to diverse content, including political messages, through the algorithm.
The study surveyed 664 adult TikTok users in the U.S. over the course of two data collections in April and June 2024. Notably, the first collection took place before Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump launched their TikTok accounts, and the second collection was after Trump’s account was created but before Harris joined.
While TikTok may not be the primary source of political news, it is still a significant platform where users engage with content from various creators. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, it will be interesting to see how this dynamic plays out.
