Netanyahu Dominates TikTok Engagement Amidst Israeli Election Campaign

Israeli politicians are actively courting young voters, particularly first-time voters, on social media platforms, with TikTok emerging as a key battleground. A special project by N12 and "Scooper" analyzed 368 TikTok videos from eight political accounts and nearly 10,000 comments on top posts to understand engagement dynamics.

Benjamin Netanyahu leads significantly in overall engagement, accounting for approximately 73% of the total interactions (likes, comments, shares) across the analyzed accounts within a month, totaling 1.7 million. This is despite posting fewer videos than some other politicians. His average post generated over 50,000 interactions, far surpassing others like Naftali Bennett, who ranked second in average engagement with about 6,700 interactions per post.

This high engagement is significant as approximately 550,000 Israelis aged 18-22 will be eligible to vote in the upcoming October elections, representing a potential 10-12 Knesset seats. While a majority of these young potential voters identify as right-wing or center-right, their party preferences are more dispersed.

However, the analysis reveals nuances in engagement. A large portion of comments on Netanyahu's videos were classified as neutral or irrelevant to politics, suggesting his TikTok presence has become a broader internet phenomenon rather than purely political support. In contrast, Itamar Ben-Gvir, despite lower overall engagement, received a higher percentage of positive comments (73%).

Naftali Bennett's posts showed engagement focused on the video content itself, with a mix of positive, negative, and neutral comments. Yair Golan's account saw a significant number of negative comments, often including the phrase "Only Bibi." Gadi Eisenkot's engagement was mixed, with a near-equal split of positive, negative, and neutral comments.

The study concludes that while politicians are present on TikTok, the nature of their engagement varies. A 'like' or comment does not automatically translate to a vote, and the challenge for politicians is to convert online visibility into genuine political support and electoral success.