The result of the first round of the elections resonated like an explosion not only in Romania: the most votes went to Calin Georgescu - a completely unknown presidential candidate who has no party, did not participate in any of the television debates, and sociological agencies had a hard time capturing him in their measurements. But instead, he has a solid presence on social networks, especially on TikTok, where his channel has 520,000 followers and 5.7 million likes.
Putin as a role model
Georgescu's polarizing campaign videos on TikTok were watched by an audience of millions. Not only did he criticize established politicians, often with false claims, but he also showed himself practicing judo and riding a horse - just like Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Georgescu clearly wants to emulate. After it became clear that he had won the first round of the election, there was great surprise and outrage. After the runoff on November 8, 2024, a conspiracy theorist, NATO critic and Putin friend could become president of Romania.
According to many observers, social networks - especially TikTok - played a major role in Georgescu's success. The short-video platform is extremely popular in Romania: about nine out of the 19 million people living in the country use it, and most of them are young people.
Although other high-ranking Romanian politicians are also on TikTok, none have been able to reach as many people as Georgescu. The result is that almost a third of people between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in his favor - despite his ridiculous claims, such as that the 1969 moon landing was faked.
Electoral authorities in Romania have accused TikTok of giving Georgescu an advantage. Before the election, the platform was notified that candidates had to identify themselves as such and disclose their sources of funding. In Georgescu's case, this was not done, which is why Romanian election authorities believe that this candidate was favored over other candidates. Therefore, the Romanian media regulator called on the EU to launch an investigation into TikTok.
TikTok denies any undue influence
The company that owns TikTok has denied all allegations and said it has removed tens of thousands of fake accounts and millions of fake likes and followers. Moreover, no signs of covert influence have been found - neither from Romania nor from abroad.
German communications expert Markus Bösch sees this as an apparent contradiction: "How is it possible that a number of accounts and likes were removed, even though there were no signs of influence?", he asks.
Social networks validate extremes
According to American linguist Adam Alexic, the main problem lies in the algorithms of modern social platforms, which are no longer determined by the principle of followers. Simply put - there you no longer see the posts of those you follow first, but of those who shout the loudest.
In an article for User Mag, he writes: "Algorithms use reactions as a measure of virality, and disinformation usually leads to more reactions. Claims that pets are eaten in Haiti lead to exactly the kind of extreme reactions that are needed for a post to go viral. And all attempts to refute false claims paradoxically lead to even greater virality. " Thus, details, accuracy and nuances are lost, and extreme views are normalized, the expert adds.
According to Markus Bösch, the main problem is that TikTok is used by a large number of people, while established independent media outlets are increasingly losing their influence. This applies to all social platforms. "Society, politicians and platform owners must be aware that these threats and attempts at influence exist and will continue to exist. Therefore, we must be well prepared and countermeasures in the context of strategic communication. "
Author: Martin Muno