Youth Is (Not) a Vice on TikTok: the 2026 Election Campaign of Gen Z Candidates
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60060/MLg.2026.19.49-77Keywords:
TikTok, political communication, Generation Z, politainment, performative authenticityAbstract
This study examines the communication strategies of five Gen Z candidates on TikTok during the 2026 parliamentary election campaign in Bulgaria. The findings indicate no straightforward relationship between algorithmic visibility, user engagement, and electoral success. The analysis highlights the growing role of performative authenticity, platform adaptation, and politainment in Gen Z political communication.
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Zamora-Medina, Rocío, Suminas, Andrius, Fahmy, Shahira S. (2023) Securing the Youth Vote: A Comparative Analysis of Digital Persuasion on TikTok Among Political Actors, Media and Communication, 11(2). Available: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.6348 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Zulli, Diana, Zulli, David J. (2020) Extending the Internet Meme: Conceptualizing Technological Мimesis and Imitation Publics on the TikTok Platform, New Media & Society, 24(8). Available: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820983603 (Accessed: 26.04.2026).
---------------------------
Abidin, Crystal (2020) Mapping Internet Celebrity оn Tiktok: Exploring Attention Economies аnd Visibility Labours, Cultural Science Journal, 12(1), pp. 77–103. Available: https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.140 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Cervi, Laura, Marín-Lladó, Carles (2021) What are Political Parties Doing on TikTok? The Spanish Case, Profesional de la Informacion, 30(4), pp. 1–14. Available: https://doi.org/10.6035/clr.5817 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Cervi, Laura, Tejedor, Santiago, Blesa, Fernando (2023) TikTok and Political Communication: The Latest Frontier of Politainment? A Case Study,
Media and Communication, 11(2), pp. 203–217. Available: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.6390 (Accessed: 26.04.2026).
Deckman, Melissa M., McDonald, Jared (2023) Uninspired by Old White Guys: The Mobilizing Factor of Younger, More Diverse Candidates for Gen Z Women, Politics & Gender, 19(1), pp. 195–219. Available: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X21000477 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Enli, Gunn, Rosenberg, Linda T. (2018) Trust in the Age of Social Media: Populist Politicians Seem More Authentic, Social Media + Society, 4(1). Available: https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118764430 (Accessed: 26.04.2026).
Enli, Gunn (2015) Mediated Authenticity: How the Media Constructs Reality. Peter Lang. Available: https://doi.org/10.3726/978-1-4539-1458-8 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Giuranno, Michelle G., Manni, Mauro S. (2026) The Impact of TikTok on Elections: (Mis)information and Regulatory Challenges, Kyklos, 1(19). Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/kykl.70054 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Gómez-García, Salvador, Zamorra, Rocío, Berrocal, Salomé (2023) New Frontiers for Political Communication in Times of Spectacularization, Media and
Communication, 11 (2), pp. 109–112. Available: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.7069 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Grantham, Susan, Cervi, Laura, Iachizzi, Manolo (2025) Double Tap Democracy: Political Authenticity in the TikTok Era, Media International Australia, 0(0). Available: https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X25132723 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Hindarto, Isni H. (2022) Tiktok and Political Communication of Youth: A Systematic Review, Jurnal Review Politik, 12(2), pp. 146–176. Available: https://doi.org/10.15642/jrp.2022.12.2.146-176 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Karimi, Kiana, Fox, Richard L. (2023) Scrolling, Simping, and Mobilizing: TikTok’s Influence over Generation Z’s Political Behavior, The Journal of Social Media in Society, 12(1). Available: https://www.thejsms.org/index.php/JSMS/article/view/1251 (Accessed: 26.04.2026).
Kim, Yunsu (2025) Deliberation in the Age of Algorithms: A Comparative Analysis on the Prevalence of TikTok-Mediated Political Communication Among Young Adults Across Countries. Master’s Thesis, Vilnius University, Faculty of Communication. Available: https://epublications.vu.lt/object/elaba:277672247/ (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Luebke, Simon M. (2021) Political authenticity: Conceptualization of a Popular Term, The International Journal of Press/Politics, 26(3), pp. 635–653. Available: https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220948013 (Accessed: 26.04.2026).
Luebke, Simon M., Engelmann, Ines (2021) “Vote for Me, I Am Authentic”: Performed Political Authenticity on Social Media, Media and Communication, 14: 11585. Available: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.11585 (Accessed: 26.04.2026).
Morejón-Llamas, Nоemi, Ramos-Ruiz, Álvaro, Cristòfol, Francisco-Javier (2024) Institutional and Political Communication on TikTok: Systematic review of scientific production in Web of Science and Scopus, Communication & Society, 37(2), pp. 159–177. Available: https://doi.org/10.15581/003.37.2.159-177 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Pariser, Eli (2011) The Filter Bubble. New York: The Penguin Press.
Prensky, Marc (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part 1, On The Horizon, 9, pp. 3–6. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
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Simpson, Ellen, Semaan, Bryan (2021) For You, or For “You”? Everyday LGBTQ+ Encounters with TikTok, Proceedings of the ACM on Human-computer Interaction 4 (CSCW3), pp. 1–34. Available: https://doi.org/10.1145/3432951 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Suhardi, Asmara J. (2025) Political Communication Strategies of Young Candidates to Win the Hearts of Millennial and Gen Z Voters, Journal of the American Institute. Available: https://americanjournal.us/index.php/american/article/view/143/141 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Vijay, Darsana, Gekker, Alex (2021) Playing politics: How Sabarimala Played out on TikTok, American Behavioral Scientist, 65(5), pp. 712–734. Available: https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764221989769 (Accessed: 24.04.2026).
Zamora-Medina, Rocío, Suminas, Andrius, Fahmy, Shahira S. (2023) Securing the Youth Vote: A Comparative Analysis of Digital Persuasion on TikTok Among Political Actors, Media and Communication, 11(2). Available: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.6348 (Accessed: 25.04.2026).
Zulli, Diana, Zulli, David J. (2020) Extending the Internet Meme: Conceptualizing Technological Мimesis and Imitation Publics on the TikTok Platform, New Media & Society, 24(8). Available: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820983603 (Accessed: 26.04.2026).
