#bundestagswahl: Hashtags and party visibility in the 2025 German federal election on TikTok

Kinast, Jochen; Marquart, Franziska

Abstract

This exploratory study examines the visibility of political parties on TikTok during Germany’s 2025 federal election campaign. Using a dataset of nearly 48,000 posts collected through TikTok’s Research API, we analyze the frequency and prominence of party-related hashtags and identify the most active content creators. Our findings reveal an imbalance in party representation: The right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) consistently dominates hashtag rankings throughout the campaign, while other major parties – particularly the Greens – are notably underrepresented on the platform. This dominance is not so much rooted in official party communications but user-generated content, both supportive and critical. We argue that TikTok’s algorithmic architecture may amplify polarizing content, inadvertently favoring populist actors. Our findings highlight the need for greater scrutiny of platform-mediated campaigning and its potential to shape political discourse and visibility in non-transparent ways.