Here is my rewrite: In recent years, Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has gained significant ground in politics, consistently polling among the top three parties in the country. This rise can be attributed to a growing support base among younger voters, with data showing that this demographic now plays a major role in AfD’s expansion.
In Bavaria’s 2023 state election, analysis from Infratest Dimap revealed that 16% of voters aged between 18 and 24 backed the party – up by nine percentage points from its previous result and larger than the broader outcome in the region for AfD. The trend continued during a mock state election held exclusively for under-18s in September, where the AfD added over six percentage points to become the second biggest party with 14.9% of the vote according to organizers’ figures.
Furthermore, recent Hesse state elections witnessed an increase of eight percentage points, taking the proportion of votes received by the AfD from individuals aged between 18 and 24 up to 18%.
The AfD is a political party that promotes anti-immigration, anti-multiculturalism and anti-Islamic policies while also advocating for the abolition of Germany’s renewable energy act. The group has been met with widespread public criticism despite its growing popularity, including calls to ban it altogether as well as protests against right-wing ideologies.
Traditionally, young voters tend towards more left-leaning beliefs but the increasing number supporting AfD through ballots points out certain discrepancies that experts have linked back to social media and what they term ‘online echo chambers’. Eva Berendsen, head of communication and political education at Anne Frank educational institute in translated comments, explains that these spaces are called rabbit holes or tunnels due to their problematic nature. This means users can be presented with views from a single ideological perspective rather than being exposed to various opinions on the topic.
A study revealed this month disclosed how 51% of young individuals between 14 and 29 years old in Germany use social media platforms for keeping up-to-date regarding politics and news while as many as 80 percent often log into Instagram. TikTok is increasingly gaining popularity, with its frequent users standing at an average age below twenty – it was found that over half of this demographic uses the app to stay updated about political matters.
The AfD has been successful on TikTok and other social media platforms due to its credible position compared to rival parties while also promoting ideas in line with citizen interests, according to a spokesperson for the party. Various politicians from the group have gained significant followings as well – European Parliament member Maximilian Krah’s videos frequently reach hundreds of thousands on TikTok and he talks about how “real men” vote right-wing while countering left-leaning figureheads with ease due to its algorithmically facilitated feature, For You page.
However, the party has been restricted by TikTok recently for repeatedly violating community guidelines as Krah’s recent videos have not been promoted on this platform – they can still be seen by thousands of users at a time though. Berendsen suggests that these messages often reach young individuals who are inexperienced and relatively ignorant regarding politics, using social media platforms like TikTok to convey simple yet emotionally loaded ideas through content featuring games, current events or familiar figures within their communities such as footballers – all while utilizing far-right symbols disguised under emojis.
Can you provide more information on how the AfD’s social media strategy compares to that of other German political parties? And what steps are being taken by TikTok and other platforms to address problematic content related to extremism and hate speech, especially among young users?
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