THE INFLUENCE OF TIKTOK SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLITICAL AWARENESS IN INDONESIAN ELECTIONS

Abstract

This research aims to explore the influence of TikTok social media on political awareness in Indonesia, with a particular focus on first-time voters. According to the We Are Social report, TikTok will be among the top 5 most popular social media in the world by early 2024 with 1.56 billion users, including 126.83 million in Indonesia. TikTok has a significant influence in disseminating information and political issues, influencing public opinion, and serving as an informal political education tool. This research uses the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method to analyze literature from various relevant previous studies. The results show that TikTok enables various forms of interaction between political actors and the public, ranging from indirect responses to direct comments, creating a dynamic and responsive interaction space. In addition, this social media plays an important role in political campaigns, helping candidates interact with their supporters, increasing political participation, and influencing public perception. Political content on TikTok also plays a role in shaping political awareness and the attitudes and behaviors of the public, especially students. In conclusion, TikTok has great potential as a political communication platform to build political awareness and increase voter participation, especially first-time voters, although challenges such as disinformation still need to be addressed. This research is expected to be a reference for further research related to this topic.