This report was published by ISD Germany (November 19, 2024).

Ahead of Brandenburg’s state election on September 22, 2024, ISD Germany examined how TikTok’s recommendation algorithm distributes party-political content — and whether it creates asymmetric exposure patterns depending on the political orientation of a user’s account. The research is part of the AHEAD.tech project, funded by the Mercator Foundation, and develops methodology for assessing systemic election-related risks under the Digital Services Act framework.

Key Findings

AfD content dominated across accounts. AfD-related videos appeared most frequently — 75 videos across 9 of 10 test accounts — far outpacing SPD content (35 videos) and other parties. This asymmetry held even when accounts were not oriented toward right-leaning content.

Political orientation shapes content diversity. Right-leaning accounts received a diet of predominantly AfD content, while center and left-leaning accounts encountered a broader mix of party representations. The political framing of an account influences how diverse the party-political content it sees becomes.

Most TikTok content remains non-political. Only 9.6% of total content consumed across test accounts qualified as explicitly political. TikTok remains primarily an entertainment platform, but the political slice is not neutral.

AfD content was varied and emotionally charged. Compared to other parties, AfD content incorporated more diverse formats, thematic breadth, and emotionally engaging material — factors that likely contribute to its algorithmic spread.

Full Report

The full report (in German) is available at isdgermany.org.