It’s hard to believe that a platform once known for dance routines and lip-syncs is now shaping how we talk about politics. Yet here we are. TikTok no longer sits at the edges of the media ecosystem—it’s actively influencing the centre-stage of political coverage.

For many people under 30, TikTok is becoming a news-source of first resort. A recent article observed that in parts of Africa, users rely on it more than traditional TV or radio. Scroll through your feed for long enough and you’ll find short videos on elections, policy statements, activism and outrage—all in the space of a minute or less.

What’s different? First: the format. Politics used to be measured, slow, heavy. On TikTok it is digestible, punchy, emotionally charged. A clip from the campaign trail, an edited excerpt from a parliamentary session, a creator summarising a policy in 45 seconds. In France, MPs are even delivering what the press has dubbed “TikTok speeches”: short interventions built for the vertical screen, designed to be shared.

Second: the algorithm. Research shows that the “For You” feed can amplify certain partisan content more than others—raising questions about neutrality and how viewpoints are being framed. Suddenly politics is not just broadcast from a newsroom or newspaper editor—it’s discovered, shared, and judged in the swipe of a thumb.

Third: the audience. Traditional news formats often struggled to reach younger listeners. On TikTok, that barrier falls away. Creators, influencers and even political institutions are using it to reach reflexively: the younger voter, the casual scroller, anyone whose loyalty to “news” is measured in seconds.

But let’s not give the impression it’s all innovation without cost. The blink-fast format can favour sensationalism over nuance. The speed and emotional intensity lend themselves to polarisation and oversimplification. In delivering politics as entertainment, the depth of debate can suffer.

So what does this mean for the rest of us, inside and outside the broadcast world? For one thing, it means political coverage now lives in shorter clips, on mobile screens, under the thumb of an algorithm. As someone working in the broadcasting industry, I watch this shift with equal parts fascination and caution. Because when the medium changes, the story changes too.

In short: TikTok hasn’t just entered political coverage—it’s reshaping it. Whether we notice or not, the newsroom, politicians, and audiences are adapting to its fast-paced, scrollable reality.