Far-right parties youth social media targeting: An analysis of Vox's Instagram and TikTok Activity

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyse the youth-targeted content published on social media platforms by Spanish far right party Vox, comparing their posts on Instagram and TikTok. Although both platforms are widely common among the youth, the average age of TikTok users is significantly lower; thus, the content uploaded by political parties on the platform is most likely targeted towards said demographic. The research will be achieved by conducting a visual content analysis of a number of publications uploaded on both platforms between 2020 and 2022. The investigation will observe the engagement received (likes, comments, views and saved content) as well as other variables such as the visual theme, tone, or elements directed towards the youth, among others. It was expected that these variables would portray the type of content with which Vox targets the Spanish youth. The research found that the type of publications the far right party uploads contain a humorous, angry or celebratory tone, memes and are adapted towards the discourse utilised by the youth online.