I need a break from homework. So I do what any young person would: I sit back and open TikTok, hoping to watch some harmless, funny videos that will take my mind off of exams. Instead, I am met with dramatic montages encouraging forceful deportation, edits of a romantic relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and meme-ified footage of military strikes in Iran.
What am I even watching?
With the midterm elections now upon us, both Democrats and Republicans are competing to win over young voters through informed, more polarized, and most damaging of all, unable to see the people on the other side of the joke as real people.
Over the past few years, TikTok has become a standard part of campaign political issues. Both the Democratic and Republican Parties have verified accounts, alongside many other lawmakers. At first glance, the idea of politicians’ content might sound harmless. After all, what’s so bad about using TikTok to publicize your message to young voters aged 18 to 29, especially when 63 percent of this demographic uses the app?
The problem arises when the politicians realize the true power of rage-bait content: polarization.
In August 2025, the Misinformation Review published
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