With TikTok in the election campaign: The “Last Generation” relies on the creativity of the masses. The aim is to create a counterpoint to right-wing parties and to mobilize first-time voters.
Berlin – The “Last Generation” dares a political experiment. On June 9th, the climate movement will take part in the European elections under the official name “Shake up Parliament – Voice of the Last Generation”. In order to make your voice heard again, the election campaign should take place largely on TikTok - with the help of first-time voters and people who otherwise have little or nothing to do with the group.
Politics on social media: “Last Generation” relies on TikTok for the EU election campaign
“We focus on the topic of the impending climate catastrophe, which plays a particularly important role for young people, as they have to live with the consequences for the longest time,” said Georg Peter to
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. Peter is part of the “Last Generation” TikTok team and is therefore jointly responsible for the EU election campaign. Given the consequences of climate change, first-time voters would become “the natural target group”.
In principle, they want to rely on an approach that, according to the press release, would be “difficult to imagine in established political circles”: the content of the election campaign should not be determined centrally by the “last generation”, but by ordinary users of the TikTok app.
“Last Generation” is planning challenges on TikTok: “Content Avalanche” is intended to draw attention to the European elections
Starting today, Wednesday (April 17), the movement is hosting a weekly challenge until election day; To do this, videos on specific topics should be created and uploaded to your own TikTok channel. The video with the most views wins - the “Last Generation” says they trust completely “in the intelligence and creativity of the masses”. The only requirement: Participants must be over 14 years old and live in Europe. Misanthropic content and denial of climate change are also excluded.
All winners will receive big prizes, and the “Last Generation” will be giving away six Interrail passes, with which they can travel through Europe in a climate-friendly way for a month. “This incentive is strategically set” in order to win over voters who otherwise have nothing to do with the “last generation,” it is said. The stated goal is to “trigger an avalanche of content on TikTok” that particularly reaches young voters.
“Last Generation” and Greens on TikTok: Contrast to right-wing extremist content
This is also intended to create a counterpoint to the anti-human and anti-democratic content of right-wing extremist parties. In the last month, the AfD in particular has managed to position itself on TikTok. This was achieved not only by party leader Alice Weidel, but also by other AfD politicians - albeit through trite truisms.
In addition to the “Last Generation”, the Greens also want to score points on TikTok with their core issues of climate and environmental protection. Here too, the aim is to bring democracy closer to young voters. With a view to the European elections, they “don’t want to leave this space to the right,” said the party’s political director, Emily Büning. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has also recently been present on TikTok - but his “double” was brought to court by the “Last Generation” last Monday (April 15).
(nak)