Greek political leaders on TikTok: crafting visual bonds in election and non-election times

Through social media platforms (SMPs), politicians share professional, personal, and even private information in an effort to connect with both influential personalities and ordinary individuals. Specifically, politicians’ use of TikTok can be seen as a strategy to generate “visual flows” of professional, personal, and private moments aimed at crafting visual bonds with TikTok users. This research comparatively analyzes how the leaders of the three largest political parties in Greece -New Democracy, SYRIZA, and PASOK-Kinal- shape their public images through TikTok video posts. The analysis covers their activity on the platform from its inception until mid-March 2024 (March 15, 2024), including the recent double general elections held in Greece in late May and late June 2023. The study explores how Greek politicians use TikTok, with a focus on platform-specific strategies that convey authenticity and intimacy to users. It also compares communication tactics across political leaders and electoral periods, integrating the findings with previous research on Instagram. The communication strategies that seek to enhance the “ordinariness” aspect of politicians appear to have a significant positive effect on viewer engagement with TikTok videos, while the presentation of political activities appears to have a negative correlation to user engagement. Overall, this research aims to contribute to the literature by offering a nuanced understanding of how politicians utilize TikTok to shape their public image, engage with audiences, and navigate the complexities of digital communication in the political sphere.