It was an election result that struck like a bolt from the blue. And not only in RomaniaMostly unknown Kalin Đorđesku he did not belong to any political party, appeared only marginally in all public opinion polls and did not participate in any of the major televised debates ahead of the presidential elections. But, he was increasingly present on social media – especially on TikTok. His channel has 520.000 followers and 5,7 million likes.
Millions see him riding like Putin
Gheorgheescu's polarizing campaign videos on the social network have been seen by millions. There, he not only criticized established politicians - often with false facts - but portrayed himself as a judoka or horse rider, just like his role model, Russian President Vladimir Putin. When Gheorđescu came out on top after the first round of voting, it was a big surprise. And as early as next week on December 8, that conspiracy theorist, critic of NATO and friend of Putin could be elected president of Romania, writes DW.
According to many observers, social media platforms, especially TikTok, played a large role in Gheorgheescu's success. That video platform is extremely popular, especially in Romania: out of 19 million inhabitants, about nine million use it - mostly young people.
Did TikTok favor Georgiescu?
Although other Romanian high-ranking politicians are also on TikTok, none of them have managed to reach nearly as many people and voices as Gheorđescu. The result: almost a third of Romanians between the ages of 18 and 24 voted for him, regardless of his crude and inaccurate theses such as the one that the 1969 moon landing was fake.
The electoral commission accused TikTok of allowing Gheorgheescu to gain an advantage. Before the election, she instructed TikTok to identify candidates as such and disclose their sources of funding. In the case of Gheorgheescu, TikTok did not implement this and thereby favored him over other candidates, the competent services complain.
TikTok: "There was no impact"
Romania's media regulatory service has therefore called on the European Union to launch an investigation into TikTok.
TikTok itself denied all the accusations and pointed out that it has removed tens of thousands of fake accounts and millions of fake likes and followers. Moreover, they say that no signs of covert influence from Romania itself or from abroad have been detected.
German communications expert and TikTok expert Markus Besch sees a clear contradiction in this: "How is it possible that numerous accounts and likes were removed, even though there were no signs of impact?"
"Extreme Views Become Normal"
For the American linguist Adam Aleksić, the main problem lies in the algorithms of modern social platforms, which are no longer determined by the principle of the number of followers. Put simply, this means that we no longer see the posts of those we follow, but those who are the loudest.
In an article for User Mag, Aleksic writes: "Algorithms use engagement as a measure of virality, and misinformation tends to drive engagement." Claims that Haitians eat pets will generate the extreme reactions needed for virality. Even attempts to correct those falsehoods can paradoxically be seen as additional engagement."
Details, accuracy and nuances are lost, and extreme views become normal.
TikTok is the 'app of the moment'
According to Bosch, the main problem is that TikTok is used by many people, while strong independent media brands are increasingly disappearing. However, this is not just a problem with TikTok, but with all social media.
"TikTok is the 'app of the moment,' which means that many topics and trends can later be found on other platforms," says Bosch and adds. "Societies, politicians and platform operators must be aware that this threat and attempts to influence exist, will continue to exist and therefore be more resilient and ready to take countermeasures in the context of strategic communication."
