On Sunday, US President Joe Biden appeared on TikTok. On a newly created account, a video of the president was published with the text “lol hey guys” – or “hey folks”. The account is not run by Biden himself, but by employees who work with his election campaign. – The campaign will continue to meet voters where they are, says Rob Flaherty, head of digital strategy in the White House, in a statement. In the video, which has received over 5.6 million viewers so far, the president answers questions about which team he is rooting for during the Super Bowl, among other things. He was also asked about the much talked about conspiracy theory surrounding Taylor Swift’s role in the election campaign. – I would get in trouble if I told you something, Biden said jokingly. Prohibited on business phones The President’s presence on the app has caused reactions. Especially since the app is prohibited on most public service phones in the United States. The Republican Kristi Noem, who is governor of the state of South Dakota, is not gracious in his criticism: – Joe Biden, you have done a lot of stupid things in the last three years. Giving your information to China is perhaps one of the stupidest things, she writes on X. The Republican governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, shakes her head at Joe Biden. Photo: AP John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House, says on Monday that “nothing has changed” when it comes to the use of TikTok from a security perspective, writes Reuters. Biden’s campaign team also says it has taken “advanced precautions” to secure the devices that have the app installed. Last year, sources in the Biden administration denied to NBC that they would use TikTok during the election campaign. The country has also several times considered introducing a total ban on the app. TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew explains himself in a hearing in the United States in March 2023. Photo: AP The background is that TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Several are concerned that the app may share user data with the Chinese authorities. The US Department of Defense has referred to the app as a potential security threat. – Standing in a dilemma – That Biden is on TikTok illustrates very well the platform power TikTok has, says Vilde Schanke Sundet to news. She is a researcher at the Department of Media and Communication and associate professor at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Oslo Met. Researcher Vilde Schnke Sundet says that whoever creates the content for Biden’s account knows how to communicate in this way. Photo: UiO The criticism of the app is twofold, explains Sundet. One is about privacy and security. At the same time, TikTok is criticized for being a platform linked to harmful content, that the algorithms can contribute to unwanted body pressure and hate speech. – Biden is now in a rather big dilemma where he both wants to be critical of TikTok and at the same time uses it himself in the election campaign. Because he sees how important it is to be on the platform where the young voters are. Young votes have received much of the credit for the Democrats’ rise in recent years. An American survey showed that a fifth of Generation Z received political information from TikTok in 2022. Sundet says that it is too early to say how big of an effect TikTok has politically, but that there is no doubt that it is the platform that hits the most young people. TikTok is controversial in the US, but has many users. Photo: Reuters – Most people visit several platforms, but the fierce consumption is on TikTok, and it is also interest-driven. So if you have something to say, it’s not an insignificant platform to be on. However, Sundet does not believe that the president’s election campaign account will pose a danger to the country’s security. – It can easily be solved by using another phone for the app. Humor as a tool Biden has several times embraced humor and internet culture in an attempt to reach young voters. The profile picture on the TikTok account shows a picture of the president with laser eyes – a reference to the “Dark Brandon” meme. Biden with laser eyes on cardboard posters in November 2023. Photo: AFP The choice is not random, says Sundet. – There are only three videos out so far, but humor is underlying in all three. After all, it is a proven move that has been taken, and of which there is also a lot on TikTok. – All platforms have their language, and this is not his personal account, but an election campaign account to mobilize voters before the election. If they had posted a regular speech or press conference, it probably wouldn’t have worked so well.
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