TikTok has updated their app with an information page to update users on the upcoming presidential election, according to Social Media Today. On BGSU’s campus, the social media app is a popular way for younger generations to receive global news. 

The Election Center on TikTok provides users with updates on the current election and resources for voting registration. Some voters say this can be helpful for the increasing number of young adults who choose to stay updated about the election from social media. 

“I see news through multiple different facets. I listen to a lot of podcasts and streamers who talk about different political issues, also a lot from social media, specifically Instagram,” Lola Flick, Vice President of the BGSU Democrats, said.

This opens up the conversation around whether or not the news people are reading on TikTok is credible or not. 

“I don’t think TikTok in its entirety is credible because that’s generalizing an entire platform. I think certain individuals and media companies within TikTok are credible, like news sources and news channels that have TikTok accounts,” Blake Chatt, president of the Bowling Green Student Rights Union, said.

There are accounts on TikTok that specialize in spreading news and making sure that it is credible for users, but it can still be helpful to fact check the information.

“A lot of independent media that’s on social media doesn’t have the same level of rigor when it comes to fact checking and making sure what they’re saying is true,” Flick said.

Tiktok’s update very well may impact the amount of young voters registering because it will be easily accessible from the app’s homepage and can fit into a busy student’s life. 

“As students, we are busy and don’t know a lot about the processes of voting,” Flick said. “We also move a lot, and that makes it hard for us to vote and find the time to fill out every application. It can be kind of complicated.”

While it can be hard to reach young adults when it comes to voting, implementing political information on a popular social media app like TikTok may slightly increase voter registration.

“I don’t know to the extent it will benefit voter outreach, but I feel like if there’s any way we can meet people where they are, I feel that it’s at least slightly advantageous,” Flick said. “It may only register a thousand folks to vote but just with that tiny measure, maybe it might tip the scales.”

Politicians are starting to create their own social media platforms in the wake of the presidential election and the influence social media has on voter registration. For example, Vice President Kamala Harris has her own TikTok account which can help to connect with young voters.

“I absolutely think the use of social media as an outreach tool is very effective. We’ve already seen an uptick in voter registration and the youth showing interest in voting as well as the increase in knowledge of things that are happening in electoral politics,” Chatt said.

BGSU voters believe anything that could bring more people to the polls is impactful. 

“I think something like that might help people to get involved. Social media makes it so you can feel like you’re involved in activism and politics without actually doing any real world work,” said Madison Bly, a public relations sophomore at BGSU. 

The endless information that is posted to TikTok can even be transferred to real-life use. Although elections do not occur every day, the plethora of information on TikTok can still act as a baseline for young voters to take action.

“If you get all of your information from social media and you know all these things about politics, what are you doing with that?” Bly said. “If it’s something that can help you get engaged with your community or with voting in person, rather than something you’re doing on Tiktok, that would be helpful and could make it so that we see an increase.”

Besides the use of social media, young voters at BGSU can turn to other resources to help them learn about the election and the voting process.

“Look at a varied diet of news, just to make sure that you’re hearing a particular candidate’s views on both sides,” Flick stated.

While information on TikTok can be easily digestible for its users, talking with educated people on a specific topic can be more beneficial.

“I just go out and talk to educated people. If I don’t know something and I want to learn about it, then I look up as much as I can,” Chatt said. 

Seeing more political information on TikTok could spark an interest in the younger generation and help to realize the importance of voting.

“It’s hard for people to understand how big and consequential their vote is and what it means to be a voter,” Flick said. “We have so much power, and we don’t realize it.”