TikTok and the affective politics of digital populism: Nationalist youth mobilization in the 2024-2025 Romanian elections

by Reza Tavalla, Cristina Matiuța,

This article explores TikTok’s role in shaping nationalist populism and affective polarization among Romanian youth during the 2024-2025 presidential elections. Drawing on theories of digital nationalism, populist communication, youth political engagement, and affective polarization, the study develops an integrative framework for analyzing how TikTok’s algorithmic design promotes emotionally charged, influencer-driven political content. It argues that TikTok functions as an incubator of affective nationalism by amplifying far-right narratives and mobilizing youth through emotionally resonant media. The article calls for a hybrid methodology combining discourse analysis of platform content and survey data to assess how nationalist narratives circulate and gain traction among young voters.

(DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18034781)

published in Vol. 25 - No. 1 - Summer 2025
ABSTRACT
PAPERS

    Youth electoral participation at the first vote: A comparative study of Romania and Austria

    This article examines the mechanisms shaping electoral participation among first-time voters through a comparative analysis of Romania and Austria. Based on the premise that showing up at the first vote is a critical moment in forming civic habits, the study explores how institutional frameworks, family-based socialization, and digital environments interact to affect early democratic engagement.... »

    TikTok and the affective politics of digital populism: Nationalist youth mobilization in the 2024-2025 Romanian elections

    This article explores TikTok’s role in shaping nationalist populism and affective polarization among Romanian youth during the 2024-2025 presidential elections. Drawing on theories of digital nationalism, populist communication, youth political engagement, and affective polarization, the study develops an integrative framework for analyzing how TikTok’s algorithmic design promotes emotionally charged, influencer-driven political content. It argues that... »

    Romanian Eurasianism? Mapping the political ideology of Călin Georgescu

    This article investigates the meteoric and unexpected political rise of Călin Georgescu in Romanian domestic politics during the last two years by concentrating on his political philosophy, which is closely linked to the neo-Eurasianism developed by the Russian far-right intellectual Alexandr Dugin. Exploring philosophical, political, economic, and religious arguments, after a preliminary analysis of Eurasianism... »

    Legionary apologia in contemporary Romania: Advancing a comparative methodology for scaling European fascisms

    This article investigates the political resurgence of radical fascist ideologies in contemporary Romania, specifically those associated with the Legionary Movement and the Antonescian ideology. The inquiry is framed within the context of the disputed 2024 presidential elections, later annulled, which had initially resulted in a victory for Călin Georgescu. The article presents a legal evaluation... »

    Beyond economics: Covid-19 vaccination and religious motivations in Romania’s 2025 presidential elections

    This article investigates the factors shaping voter preferences in Romania’s 2025 presidential election, focusing on the runoff between a centrist and a nationalist-conservative-populist candidate. Using electoral data combined with regional indicators, the analysis assesses the relative importance of economic development and Covid-19 vaccination rates – considered a proxy for cultural contextual landscapes related to historical... »

    Economic determinants of voters’ behavior in the 2024 Romanian parliamentary elections

    This paper aims to evaluate the link between economic factors and electoral preferences in the 2024 Romanian parliamentary elections. Using the economic voting framework, this study analyses the complex interplay between macroeconomic variables and electoral behavior in legislative elections. Since retrospective, pocketbook, and sociotropic voting are key elements that characterize the Romanian electoral landscape, the... »

    The 2024-2025 elections in Romania: From local elections to the international impact of political choices

    This special issue on the 2024 and 2025 (unexpected) elections in Romania aims to help in understanding better the impact of these elections, from the local level to international political implications. The special issue is published in two parts as issues 1 and 2 of volume 25 of the Romanian Journal of Political Science. For... »

  Site Meter

Indexed in:

  • Social Sciences Citation Index
    (ISI Thomson Reuters)
  • IPSA
  • GESIS
  • CIAONET
  • EBSCO
  • CEEOL
  • EPNET

International
Advisory Board

  • Alina Mungiu-Pippidi (chair) Hertie School of Governance
  • Larry Diamond Stanford University
  • Tom Gallagher University of Bradford
  • Alena Ledeneva University College London
  • Michael McFaul Stanford University
  • Dennis Deletant Georgetown University
  • Helen Wallace London School of Economics and Political Science

Editorial Board

  • Claudiu Tufiș
  • Bogdan Iancu
  • George Jiglau
  • Ingi Iusmen
  • Gabriel Bădescu
  • Andrei Macsut
  • Laura Voinea

Published by:

Societatea Academica Romana