‘The first TikTok election’ makes for a great sound bite. But will it really swing the UK general election?

‘The first TikTok election’ makes for a great sound bite. But will it really swing the UK general election? Maybe in the US, but certainly not in the UK.

During my time as the Chief Digital Communicator for The UK Government, I faced an uphill battle trying to win support for using TikTok. The logic was simple: effective communication is a cornerstone of any successful government. To address matters of public importance, we need to reach the general public at scale, wherever they naturally consume content. In other words, we take our message to the public on their terms, not the other way around.

With around 40% of adults in the UK actively using TikTok, it was the glaring elephant in the room.

Fast forward 18 months, and politicians are now throwing themselves at the platform—often in the cringiest way possible. For example, Rishi Sunak’s dig at Labour’s policy, which was genuinely funny, was quickly spun by Labour’s official TikTok channel. Similarly, Labour’s Cilla Black meme mocked the Conservative party’s National Service announcement. These clips are fun, engaging, and viewed by millions.

This is political campaign attrition, aimed at undermining the character and policies of opponents. While it makes for great political commentary and might sway some undecided voters, my hunch is that TikTok content in this election is predominantly reinforcing pre-existing political beliefs and driving further polarisation.

Polls suggest a significant Labour victory, driven more by a general longing for change than by social media influence. Furthermore, TikTok’s predominantly younger audience tends to lean left and support Labour. So, while the platform reinforces existing support, it may not significantly shift the overall balance of power.

In contrast, the US election is shaping up to be a closer race, where TikTok's influence could be much more decisive. This is evident from Donald Trump, who previously sought to ban the platform, joining TikTok just this week.

For a deeper look into the role of TikTok in the UK general elections, I highly recommend following Tim Gatt at Tiga and Marcus Beard at Fentimore Harper They are both doing impressive analysis of the content that leading political parties are putting out on TikTok and other social channels.

Bio

Peter Heneghan is the founder of The Future Communicator unicator an AI and communications consultancy helping in-house teams no matter where they are on their AI journey.?

He previously held senior communications roles at BBC News, Channel 4, BuzzFeed, and 10 Downing Street.

Website:? www.thefuturecommunicator.com