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Last week, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress for the first time, where he faced a barrage of criticism from lawmakers. Both Republicans and Democrats raised security concerns about the Chinese-owned tech platform, which collects data from users. Officials are pushing ByteDance, the company that owns the app, to sell the app or risk an outright ban.
Itβs unclear if a nationwide ban could be enacted. But as long as TikTok exists, strategists say itβs necessary for campaigns and candidates on the app.
They acknowledge that a presence on TikTok comes with some risks, but as long as campaigns are implementing safeguards β like using a separate phone for the app and not linking it to official campaign emails β itβs one of the best ways of reaching a core demographic. TikTok is not the only security concern a campaign may face, but is one thatβs increasingly in the public eye.
Even if a campaign is wary of having an account on the app, there are still other ways to engage. Kasey OβBrien, director of social and texting at Democratic firm Middle Seat, said that tapping influencers to share the campaignβs message could be effective. Thatβs a strategy that addresses some security concerns, but also practical ones, especially if campaigns lack the resources or knowhow to produce content for the app.
βItβs not so much that you the candidate needs to be on TikTok, but you need to have people who are speaking about you on TikTok and sort of spreading your message,β she said. βIf you want your message to get across and to become part of popular discourse, it needs to be where the popular discourse is being created.β
The prospect of a ban is one that has the potential to impact Democratic candidates and campaigns in a substantial way, as Republicans have been less inclined to engage with TikTok.
In last yearβs midterm elections, there were more than twice as many Democratic candidate accounts on TikTok compared to Republicans in Senate, House, governor and secretary of state races, according to a study from the Alliance for Securing Democracy.
Much of that has to do with Republicans being more vocal about Chinaβs ownership of the app, said Lindsay Gorman, senior fellow for emerging technologies at the group and co-author of the study. But after last weekβs hearing showing bipartisan concerns, Democrats could find themselves βin a tough spot.β
βThe longer this uncertainty drags out, especially as it potentially bleeds into the 2024 election season, thatβs when weβll see hard choices among politicians that theyβre going to have to make, of if there are voters still on this platform β but we still havenβt resolved the national security concerns, theyβll probably still continue to use it in some fashion,β she said.
The app is critical to a broader strategy, strategists argue, to reach voters who donβt normally consume political content. A recent poll conducted by SocialSphere found that just one-third of Gen Z and millennial users of the app regularly view content about current events or politics. A majority are instead there for entertainment.
βThe fundamental goal of all of our digital strategies across these platforms is to get in touch with voters, entice them to think about your campaign and your candidacy, the platforms, the issues that you care about, and then engage them offline,β Bell said. βVoting doesnβt happen on TikTok.β
Eric Wilson, a GOP digital strategist, said Republicans who choose to not engage with TikTok out of principle are missing out on a core demographic.
A post-election survey conducted by the Center for Campaign Innovation, which Wilson is director of, found that 18 percent of Republicans between the ages of 18 and 49 use TikTok daily. Thatβs compared to 12 percent in that group who use any conservative social media, including Truth Social, Rumble, Parler, Gettr or Gab. Wilson said that the gap of not being on TikTok can be filled by relying on content creators who are. He pointed to influential media personalities like Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro, whose clips from their podcasts are circulated on TikTok.
βIf Republicans donβt engage there at all, we run the risk of missing out on shaping narratives and reaching younger voters and I think that will be a mistake,β Wilson said. βYou need to have a presence there. Now, whether itβs the core of your strategy, it shouldnβt be. But at least having positive information flow is a minimum.β
The SocialSphere poll also found that more than half of respondents are concerned about the appβs Chinese ownership, but thereβs less of a consensus when it comes to supporting a ban unless the company sells its shares to U.S. operators. Sixty-six percent of Gen Z-ers have a favorable view of the app, as do 46 percent of millennials.
Still, strategists say theyβre doubtful the increased governmental scrutiny on the app will change TikTokβs dominance among young people β and thus campaign strategies likely wonβt change. What they do hope will change, however, is how digital communications are regulated.
βThis also just really points to the need for a much broader set of regulations around data governance and privacy of America where weβre having these conversations about one off apps like Tiktok, because we donβt have an overarching platform as a country, and thatβs something that our lawmakers really need to focus on,β said Mark Jablonowski, president of DSPolitical, a digital advertising firm that works with Democratic candidates and causes.
And some lawmakers agree. At last weekβs hearing, House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) called for Congress to pass privacy legislation that establishes baseline data minimization requirements and provides privacy protections for young people. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.), who recently created her own TikTok account, said that banning the app is βputting the cart before the horse because our first priority should beβ passing such legislation. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), whoβs been outspoken about not banning the app, also discussed legislation to deal with social media comprehensively.
Campaigns are reevaluating their balance of spending on platforms as they enter the 2024 cycle, but so far thereβs not a massive move away from TikTok β yet.
βThatβs the challenge: Youth are still out there using it,β Bell said. βWe need to continue to find avenues to engage people who are not engaged in the political process, traditionally, and bring them on to the campaign.β
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )