| Abstract [eng] |
This thesis aims to examine the impact of TikTok's unique features on political communication among young adults. It analyzes user interaction with content and evaluates how the platform’s algorithmic curation, especially on the “For You Page (FYP)” influences the exposure to and understanding of political messages among youth. A qualitative research approach is employed to fill a gap in existing studies, which have predominantly concentrated on political actors or have been limited to single-country contexts. The empirical analysis draws on eleven semi-structured interviews with young adults aged 19 to 26 from a range of national backgrounds. Participants were purposefully classified into groups of Non-, Light-, Moderate-, and Heavy-User according to their screen time, in order to accurately reflect variability in platform engagement. Following an inductive coding approach that focused on patterns of political content consumption, as well as its perceived influence on both political views and further engaging activities, the data were transcribed for thematic analysis using software tool. The findings of the study suggest that TikTok serves mainly as a platform for unpremeditated political exposure to a degree rather than deliberative engagement with political information, involuntarily leading to the production of unpredictable algorithmic content. Those contents often increase political awareness of peripheral issues without the user's knowledge or intent. Such exposure rarely results in long-term deliberation or deeper political engagement, even though it can raise awareness encouraging low-threshold forms of participation—often resulting in slacktivism such as content sharing or informal discussion. Furthermore, it was discovered that conversational battle or debate, making superficial impression of conflict dynamic made possible by the platform's comment sections, was most commonly observed form of political attitudes among active users. Despite TikTok's ability to rapidly distribute political content to a wide audience and impact traditional media, its structural limitations—such as algorithmic curation and short video format—restrict its capacity to facilitate the mutual exchange of ideas necessary for democratic deliberation. According to the empirical findings, it turns out that TikTok plays the role of fragmented mediator in public discourse, which can be a potential tool for calling attention to political issues. |
