In an effort to appeal to young voters, UK political parties are taking to TikTok, armed with bizarre jokes and jabs at the opposition, whether it be the face of Rishi Sunak edited onto a wizard, or the face of Labour MPs edited onto people dancing around parliament. This campaign technique, supposedly to target the interests of young voters, instead seems a touch unprofessional – taking on the youth slang and delving into internet ‘meme’ culture to discredit their fellow parties.
Despite the presence of some videos aiming to inform young people about the parties’ policies or ideals, there is an overwhelming amount of content that lacks the same substance. Instead, these videos aim to garner the attention of young people with ‘their’ humour, in an attempt to win them over and secure some votes. When compared to what we see on other social media platforms with older demographics, who are treated to campaign footage or official adverts, this lack of substance can’t help but feel misguided.
One might think this would appeal to young people, but really it comes across as patronising. Why, when given the opportunity to connect directly with young people, are parties opting for a quick laugh or a gimmick? Are young people not perfectly capable of engaging with actual information? It’s as if we need to be spoon-fed policies hidden amongst the latest internet memes, like a parent sneaking vegetables into their fussy child’s meal.
And what confidence do these parties show in their manifestos and plans for our future when the focus lies on insulting the opposition, rather than promoting their own message?
The issue of disconnect between politicians and young people
Although more and more young people are taking an interest in politics, we can still see a disconnect between the two. I see people my age unsure on who stands for what, or why any of it matters. And voter turnout remains lower among younger demographics. The problem is that these videos don’t seem effective in bridging that gap.
While short-form videos and jokes might be more likely to receive higher levels of engagement (in views or likes) the lack of actual informative content leads them to fall flat at what would otherwise be an easy way to reach young voters – both current and future – with this being a social media platform that many use daily. I fail to see the point in trying to build a connection without giving young people an incentive to care, beyond comparing how much funnier each party can be than the next.
Not to mention that this more niche brand of humour has the potential to alienate most people – including the target audience – and completely exclude older or less connected viewers from the message – whatever that may be. Even when there is a real message about plans or policies, why would someone who doesn’t understand the joke bother to continue watching?
I can imagine the horror of trying to explain some of the more outlandish videos to my parents, and how they supposedly relate to the ethos of each party.
Expecting professionalism from our politicians
And sure, some the content is entertaining – if not quite odd – but all it takes is remembering that it comes from official party accounts and all of a sudden it’s like a parent trying to look cool in front of their children, using jokes they just don’t quite understand in a slightly unnatural tone.
Even if these parties hired social media managers who are more up to date with young people, the fact is that it is all published under the party name. And what is it that separates these videos from those made by bored teenagers, except for a verification tick? It’s hardly fitting for those aiming to run the country – missing a sense of professionalism or authority – and the young people viewing these videos aren’t unaware of this.
Comments have been quick to point out how strange this all seems coming from official accounts, many poking fun at the parties and referring to them as jokes for this not-so-subtle strategy. In response, the style of content seems to have … remained the same.
Picking a target demographic
Another issue commenters point out is that the target demographic for this humour is still too young to actually vote. While it’s not a bad strategy to appeal to future voters, this seems an odd way of going about it. By the time these young voters hit the polling stations, these jokes will be long since expired, lacking the longevity of a more traditional campaign strategy.
This could mean that the current content fails to create a lasting impression. Would parties have to keep up this style of content for years to come? Would we not see the novelty wear off and a question to their reputation set in?
I suppose all we can do is wait and see.
