Calling out 1 Bullshit on Gen Z: WE SWEAR They Don’t Care of Politics

Yep, we’re back at it. After the success of last month’s special on why and how Gen Z actually cares about politics, we thought it would be good to add a further layer to the topic. One that speaks a bit more directly to the world of content experts.

We’ve already seen how younger generations are now approaching politics via social media, with Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and, most of all, Instagram becoming the go-to places for political information, and with emerging figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez taking the lead by using the viral power of these tools at their best.

Yet, political conversation on social media is not just a top-down thing, where people like Ocasio-Cortez speak and the audience only receives and comments. The beginning of 2020 has already witnessed a rise in political commentary from the bottom up. Meaning: people, and especially Gen Z, are talking about politics and making their point of view clear, spreading messages for everyone to see, public figures or not.

But they are doing it through funny videos and memes on TikTok, so it doesn’t look that serious.

January 2020 has been quite the month: devastating bushfires in Australia, the shadow of World War III after the US-Iran crisis, Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, and now the Coronavirus that has brought China (and not only) to its knees. A lot to digest and understand, especially for younger generations. But they didn’t look unprepared at all: they took to social media, TikTok above all, to react to dramatic facts in their own way. 



Irony, sarcasm, even nihilism, but also a sharp grasp of what’s going on around the world: throw them into a video with a catchy song, a silly dance and some not-too-fancy effects, and you have a whole new level of political communication. A whole new language, maybe. 

Let’s analyse what makes TikTok’s videos such a powerful ally to Gen Z’s need of having a say in politics:

• They are short: they don’t last more than 60 seconds, so there’s no need to stuff them with notions and facts. They are easy to make and even easier to understand, going straight to the point without redundant storytelling.
• They are fun: you don’t have to pretend to be a serious, anchor-person type to deal with news on TikTok. People record videos with their phones (often through front cameras without the highest lens resolution) and while they’re at home. You can tell they’re genuine even when they’re goofy or cringey: that’s what makes them relatable. And, as TikToker Gem Nwanne said in an interview with Vox: “It’s a lot easier to teach or to spread an idea when people are laughing.”
• They are unpretentious: that’s a corollary to the second point. The main purpose of people on TikTok is having fun, not being indoctrinated. If they feel pressure from something they see, they’ll simply swipe up and move along to another video. The interactions with the videos are classic (likes, comments, follow), but having your video trending on the “For You” board is still more important than starting a flame in the comments section of someone. Quoting Nwanne again: “Conversations are difficult to have on Twitter or Instagram because of how reactive everybody is on those apps. Comments on a video about the Australian fires [on TikTok] were like, folks asking questions and people answering them. On Twitter or Instagram they’d be like, ‘How dare you ask the question?’ The community’s a lot chiller, and I do think it’s because they’re younger, and so they don’t know to be pretentious douchebags yet.”
• They are quick to go viral: while TikTok’s algorithm remains hush-hush, it’s no secret that a video can reach hundreds of thousands of views even with the user having zero followers. And here’s something that links virality to unpretentiousness: TikTokers are not exclusively talking to their followers, they’re hypothetically addressing everyone on the platform. So — for now — they have no interest in abandoning the rules of simplicity and easy entertainment that have made the platform great up until today.

With TikTok, Gen Z is reclaiming a space where to express political beliefs and worries in their own terms, being it spreading the word on active social change or coping with preoccupying scenarios through memes.

And politicians are starting to prick up their ears, too.

While Instagram and YouTube are already perceived as somehow legitimate tools for political campaigns, TikTok is still a blank page for rallying candidates. Or at least it was, until now. Joshua Collins is, in fact, a 26-year old truck driver running to represent Washington state’s 10th district in Congress as a socialist. And TikTok is the main weapon of his campaign.

Collins didn’t have to study and research on TikTok’s ways and trends to get a grasp of them: he is a TikToker, maybe a bit older than the average user base, but still perfectly in target for the social network app and a natural with its practices.

His videos, even if shoot with professional lights and overtly supporting a political campaign, are just what makes TikTok users feel good: in line with the current trends/songs/themes, each of them addressing a single topic (such as supporting trans rights, uncovering the despicable behaviour of rich people, criticizing the too-low Federal Minimum Wage) in a funny yet witty way.

Collins not only understands, but speaks the language of Gen Z, and users are reacting accordingly: his channel has now 28.5k followers, and his videos have been liked more than 600k times.

Mind us, we are not saying that a TikTok hit can assure a chair in Congress, but it surely is proof that Gen Z is and wants to be into politics. Funny videos and all.

So, how are content experts reacting to this new wave of political activism mixed with entertainment? Are they ready to learn a new language and not look awkward by dismissing everything with a they are just memes attitude?

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This is part of YAD — Understanding Young Audiences Digest: a free monthly digest on young audiences for VOD and TV professionals. We’ve analysed millions of data points and we don’t mind sharing some of them — if this could help channels and commissioners to reach Gen Z, by understanding their needs, behavioural traits and intrinsic cultural values. 

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