Title: TikTok Rewards Divisive Political Messaging During the 2025 German Federal Election Show Chinese title

Title: TikTok在2025年德国联邦选举期间的分裂性政治信息传播

Abstract: Short-form video platforms like TikTok reshape how politicians communicate and have become important tools for electoral campaigning. Yet it remains unclear what kinds of political messages gain traction in these fast-paced, algorithmically curated environments, which are particularly popular among younger audiences. In this study, we use computational content analysis to analyze a comprehensive dataset of N=25,292 TikTok videos posted by German politicians in the run-up to the 2025 German federal election. Our empirical analysis shows that videos expressing negative emotions (e.g., anger, disgust) and outgroup animosity were significantly more likely to generate engagement than those emphasizing positive emotion, relatability, or identity. Furthermore, ideologically extreme parties (on both sides of the political spectrum) were both more likely to post this type of content and more successful in generating engagement than centrist parties. Taken together, these findings suggest that TikTok's platform dynamics systematically reward divisive over unifying political communication, thereby potentially benefiting extreme actors more inclined to capitalize on this logic. Show Chinese abstract

Abstract: 短视频平台如TikTok重塑了政治人物的沟通方式，并已成为选举竞选的重要工具。 然而，尚不清楚在这些快节奏、算法精选的环境中，哪些类型的政治理性信息会受到欢迎，这些环境尤其受年轻受众的青睐。 在本研究中，我们使用计算内容分析法，分析了德国政界人士在2025年德国联邦选举前夕发布的N=25,292条TikTok视频的全面数据集。 我们的实证分析表明，表达负面情绪（例如愤怒、厌恶）和外群体敌意的视频比强调积极情绪、共情或身份认同的视频更容易获得互动。 此外，意识形态极端政党（在政治光谱的两侧）都更有可能发布此类内容，并且在生成互动方面比中间派政党更为成功。 综上所述，这些发现表明，TikTok的平台动态系统性地奖励分裂而非团结的政治传播，从而可能使更倾向于利用这一逻辑的极端行为者受益。