Beyond anger: the populist radical right on TikTok

Abstract

The video streaming app TikTok is increasingly deployed by political actors to reach younger voters, and this includes populist radical right (PRR) parties. In this study, our expectation is that longstanding PRR parties will be more likely than new PRR challengers to try to de-demonise their image as they land on the platform, in order to counteract years of negative coverage. To test this argument, we use a novel theoretical framework that captures visual de-demonisation and eudaimonic appeals, applying it to the study of strategic communication on TikTok by a combination of established and novel radical right parties and leaders. Our selection includes Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini on the one hand, and Eric Zemmour and Vox Spain on the other. We find that - contrary to widespread assumptions linking radical communication with toxic rhetoric and the spreading of fear–positive and optimistic appeals including inspirational cues that foster hope and communicate values and virtues play a significant role in how PRR actors adjusts their communication to the needs of the medium. Moreover, long standing PRR parties are found to be less likely than new PRR challengers to focus mainly on negative content.