Social media platforms such as TikTok might have an influence on young marginal voters at the NSW state election, according to an expert.
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University of Sydney data analytics lecturer Dr Francesco Bailo told ACM many young people were getting the majority of their news from social media.
Dr Bailo said most social media sites showed repurposed or reposted news from a trusted media organisation.
But TikTok is different.
The Chinese-founded social media app allows users to post their own videos directly on the site. A 'for you page' is generated for each user, displaying videos they are likely to enjoy watching.
Dr Bailo said this was unlikely to shift consistent voters on either side of politics, but it could influence "marginal" voters.
The app had 1.46 billion global users at the end of 2022, according to Business of Apps, compared to 318 million in 2019 when the last NSW state election was held.
Candidates from both major parties, including Premier Dominic Perrottet and opposition leader Chris Minns, have embraced TikTok with 'day in my life' videos on the platform.
Candidates have uploaded policy videos, often with visuals and election promises to youth.
Rebecca, a 23 year old communications student whose last name has been withheld, told ACM the videos had engaged her in pre-election politics.
"[TikTok] definitely aids in [deciding who] I'm going to vote for. I wouldn't say it is the whole basis of my decision, but I'd definitely say it's a great tool," she said
Yet videos from political parties can appear news-like, rather than as campaign material, under TikTok's upload structure
Rebecca said TikTok videos did not feel "informed enough", despite how they impacted on her vote.
"They only give you a sweet little slice of what [the candidate] wants to sell to the audience," she said.
Outside party-generated content, advocates and social media personalities have uploaded election explainer videos to the app.
Gen United is a TikTok account with 1.7 million likes. It posts left-leaning political commentary, including summaries of key seats in the 2023 NSW election. The explainers are helping many young voters who know little about NSW politics.
Viewers are encouraged to request coverage of particular electorates via an online survey.
The account is run by the United Workers Union. The acronym 'UWU' appears on Gen United's profile and some videos end with an authorisation from the union.
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But the affiliation is not expressly stated in videos that can be viewed in feeds without clicking on the profile.
ACM has requested comment from Gen United.
Dr Bailo said TikTok had limited verification tools and political uploads often went unchecked. TikTok content creators do not need to aim for political neutrality in the way most news sites do.
"TikTok is a latecomer in the social media context," he said.
"Companies are always afraid that content moderation will actually have a negative impact on growth ... most of the time they provide [content moderation] as a result of political or government pressure."
Dr Bailo said TikTok was rarely influenced by western governmental pressure because it was a Chinese app.
"From a business perspective, it might be more problematic for TikTok to introduce a significant policy in terms of content moderation ... as it could repress their growth," Dr Bailo said.
TikTok monitoring requires someone to watch videos in full. The app's video format means hashtags and key words cannot be easily scanned.
Community guidelines available on TikTok's website warn of videos containing "misinformation that causes significant harm".
Dr Bailo said experts were continuing to study the impacts of TikTok.
Lucinda Garbutt-Young
Lucinda Garbutt-Young is a public sector and federal politics reporter. She was previously The Canberra Times' property reporter and national video lead, after coming to the capital via the Newcastle Herald. Got a tip? Email her at l.garbutt-young@austcommunitymedia.com.au
