Experimentation on TikTok, Standardisation on Reels? Party Short-Form Video Use in the 2024 UK General Election

Campaign practices evolve alongside technological change. We examine one of the most salient current developments: the rise of short-form video on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels—often termed the “TikTokification” of election campaigns (Gerbaudo, 2024). The adoption of short-form video may signal the arrival of Römmele and Gibson’s (2020) “subversive” fourth era of campaigning, characterised by emotion, disruption, spontaneity, and the mimicry of authenticity. Here, we examine how the five main UK parties used short-form content during the 2024 UK General Election through a manual content analysis of all TikToks and Instagram Reels posted during the campaign period (N = 887). We find evidence of extensive but uneven adoption of short-form video across parties, with TikTok generating substantially higher reach and engagement than Instagram Reels. Whereas Reels were largely used to repurpose traditional campaign material, TikTok served as a site of experimentation, with parties more frequently deploying humour, memes, and in-app music. Leader-centred communication remained dominant overall, but traditional campaign functions were more pronounced on Reels than on TikTok. Thus, results suggest a compressed cycle of experimentation and standardisation. Furthermore, TikTokification occurred mainly on TikTok itself rather than diffusing across short-form platforms.