What political content was shown on TikTok before the 2025 German federal election? Which parties and actors were particularly active? And how do political posts influence opinion formation?
These questions are at the core of a research project conducted by the Weizenbaum Institute Berlin and the Data Donation Lab (University of Zurich). Together with journalists they analyze the collected data.
The project examines what political content reached German TikTok users in the run-up to the federal election and what role the platform played in the campaign. The findings aim to bring more transparency to the digital political discourse.
Participation and Data Donation
To generate reliable insights, data donations are needed. TikTok users can anonymously upload their usage data to the research platform. Participation is voluntary and does not require registration. As an added benefit, participants receive a personalized analysis of their feed.
The donated data is used exclusively for scientific and journalistic purposes. It is anonymized and not shared with third parties.
The Data Donation Lab promotes and facilitates research using data collected through data donations. The Data Donation Days were supported in the 1st Outreach Call.