Abstract
The video streaming app TikTok is increasingly deployed by political
actors to reach younger voters, and this includes populist radical right
(PRR) parties. In this study, our expectation is that longstanding PRR
parties will be more likely than new PRR challengers to try to de-demonise
their image as they land on the platform, in order to counteract years of
negative coverage. To test this argument, we use a novel theoretical
framework that captures visual de-demonisation and eudaimonic appeals,
applying it to the study of strategic communication on TikTok by a
combination of established and novel radical right parties and leaders.
Our selection includes Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini on the one hand,
and Eric Zemmour and Vox Spain on the other. We find that - contrary to
widespread assumptions linking radical communication with toxic rhetoric
and the spreading of fear – positive and optimistic appeals including
inspirational cues that foster hope and communicate values and virtues
play a significant role in how PRR actors adjusts their communication to
the needs of the medium. Moreover, long standing PRR parties are found
to be less likely than new PRR challengers to focus mainly on negative
content.