Abstract
This study analyzes the misinformation spread on TikTok during the 2024 Mexican presidential campaign, with an emphasis on its possible influence on electoral behavior. The research is based on the context of the growing use of social media as a space for political communication, where TikTok has established itself as a key platform due to its capacity for virality and its reach among young audiences. The most relevant hoaxes debunked by the fact-checking sites Animal Político and Verificado between March and June 2024 are examined, categorizing their textual and visual narratives, as well as their discursive resources and manipulation strategies. The methodology combines content analysis, critical discourse analysis, and semiotic analysis, along with interviews with fact-checkers and specialists in political communication. The areas analyzed include political gender violence, the delegitimization of political actors, the use of deepfakes, and strategies to reconfigure the political agenda. This work seeks to contribute to the understanding of how false content can influence voting intentions, the perception of candidates, and the civic engagement of citizens, particularly young voters. The results aim to contribute to the academic debate on the challenges facing democracy in the digital age and the need to strengthen verification practices and media literacy.
References
1. Bhattacharya S, Agarwal N, Poudel D. Analyzing the impact of symbols in Taiwan’s election-related anti-disinformation campaign on TikTok. Soc Netw Anal Min 2024;14:227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-024-01385-9.
2. Stanescu GC. Fake News, Bots, and Influencers: The Impact of Social Media on Romania’s 2024 Elections. Social Sciences and Education Research Review 2024;11:361–6.
3. Wulandari CD, Abdul M, Tayibnapis RG, Muzykant VL. Disinformation on TikTok: Analyzing Hoaxes Surrounding the 2024 Indonesian Election. EKSPRESI DAN PERSEPSI : JURNAL ILMU KOMUNIKASI 2025;8:209–22. https://doi.org/10.33822/jep.v8i2.10163.
4. Biswas A, Sabet AJ, Lin Y-R. Toxic politics and TikTok engagement in the 2024 U.S. election. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review 2025. https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-181.
5. Bhattacharya S, Agarwal N, Poudel D. Analyzing the Impact of Symbols in Taiwan’s Anti-Disinformation Campaign on TikTok during Elections 2024. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5182951/v1.
6. Ramadhan GT, Siboro MR, Siswoyo M, Imawan K. Hoax practices behind TikTok fake accounts in the 2024 presidential election contest. Interdisciplinary Social Studies 2024;4:1–9. https://doi.org/10.55324/iss.v4i1.744.
7. Wilches J, Guerrero H, Niño C. Emociones políticas y narrativas prototípicas: TikTok en las campañas políticas, estudio de caso. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social 2024:1–28. https://doi.org/10.4185/rlcs-2024-2234.
8. Santos RSR dos. From Falsehood to Power: Disinformation, Political Rhetoric, and Transnational Influences on Democracy. Digital Populism and the Use of Neo-Propaganda and Fake News, IGI Global Scientific Publishing; 2025, p. 301–22. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-9999-6.ch013.
9. Subekti D, Yusuf M, Saadah M, Wahid M. Social media and disinformation for candidates: the evidence in the 2024 Indonesian presidential election. Front Polit Sci 2025;7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2025.1625535.
10. Lima J, Santana M, Correa A, Brito K. The use and impact of TikTok in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election. Proceedings of the 24th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research, New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery; 2023, p. 144–52. https://doi.org/10.1145/3598469.3598485.
11. Machsunah U, Andriany D. Literature Review: The Function of Tiktok in the 2024 Presidential Election Campaign of the Republic of Indonesia. Jurnal Polisci 2024;1:112–21. https://doi.org/10.62885/polisci.v1i3.161.
12. Luttrell R, Xiao L, Glass J. Democracy in the Disinformation Age: Influence and Activism in American Politics. Democracy in the Disinformation Age, Routledge; 2021.
13. Dwiana R, Barus R. TikToker Political Campaign in the 2024 Presidential and Vice Presidential Election. Komunika 2024;20:47–56. https://doi.org/10.32734/komunika.v20i01.15805.
14. Zhang J. When memes govern: A study of TikTok video memes in the 2024 US presidential election. Party Politics 2025:13540688251380615. https://doi.org/10.1177/13540688251380615.
15. Önder BA, Koç NE. DISINFORMATION WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ALGORITHMIC SOCIETIES:AN ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL LEADERS. TOJDAC 2024;14:629–47. https://doi.org/10.7456/tojdac.1464241.
16. Atilano Morales, J. (2019). Fisuras en la cámara de eco en tres procesos electorales. Comunicación y Sociedad, e7259. https://doi.org/10.32870/cys.v2019i0.7259
17. Ballesteros Herencia, C. A. (2020). La propagación digital del coronavirus: Midiendo el engagement del entretenimiento en la red social emergente TikTok. Revista Española de
a. Comunicación en Salud, 2020(Suppl. 1), 171–185. https://doi.org/10.20318/recs.2020.5459
18. Beck, U. (1997). La sociedad del riesgo: Hacia una nueva modernidad. Paidós.
19. Castells, M. (2006). La sociedad red: Una visión global. Alianza Editorial.
20. Castro Martínez, L. (2012). El marketing político en Estados Unidos: El caso Obama.
a. Norteamérica. Revista Académica del CISAN-UNAM, 7(1), 209–222. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=19372445300
21. Díaz Jiménez, O. F. (2018). Internet, redes sociales y la posmodernización de las campañas electorales en México. Democracia & Elecciones, 10(enero), 59–66. Strategia Electoral. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323931546
22. Díaz, O. F., & Heras, L. (2017). Comunicación política, campañas electorales y redes sociales en México. [Libro].
23. Esquivel, E., López, L., & Vargas, A. (2020). Campañas políticas en México: Evolución y retos. [Editorial].
24. Frausto, A. (2024, mayo 30). TikTok, la nueva arena política en México. Milenio.
25. Gerbaudo, P. (2023). The TikTok Generation: Algorithmic Culture and Platform Politics. Polity Press.
26. Gerstlé, J. (2005). La comunicación política. Fondo de Cultura Económica.
27. Guerrero, M. A. (2012). El poder de los medios: Comunicación política en México. Editorial Porrúa.
28. Magallón-Rosa, R. (2022). De las fake news a la polarización digital: Una década de hibridación de desinformación y propaganda. Revista Más Poder Local, 50, 49–65. https://doi.org/10.56151/maspoderlocal.120
29. Majó Vázquez, S. (2018). Desinformación: concepto y prácticas. Anuario CIDOB de la Comunicación, 20(1), 45–62.
30. Molina, J. P., & Magallón-Rosa, R. (2019). Procedimientos para verificar y desmontar informaciones falsas basadas en el discurso del odio: El caso de Maldita Migración. RAEIC, Revista de la Asociación Española de Investigación de la Comunicación, 6(12), 95–122.
a. https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.6.12.7
31. Peña-Fernández, S., Llorente, A., & Sánchez, M. (2022). Comunicación política en TikTok:
a. Storytelling y emocionalidad. Revista de Comunicación Digital, 5(2), 1–15.
32. Quiroz, N. T. (2020). TikTok: La aplicación favorita durante el aislamiento. Revista Argentina de Estudios de Juventud (dossier temático), e044. https://doi.org/10.24215/18524907e044
33. Smith, E. R., & DeCoster, J. (2000). Dual-process models in social and cognitive psychology:
a. Conceptual integration and links to underlying memory systems. Personality and Social
b. Psychology Review, 4(2), 108–131. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0402_01
34. Tandoc, E., Lim, Z. W., & Ling, R. (2018). Defining fake news. Digital Journalism, 6(2), 137– 153. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1360143
35. TikTok. (2025, julio 24). Guía de desinformación perjudicial. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/safety/es/harmful-misinformation-guide
36. Tucker, E. (2022, septiembre 19). El motor de búsqueda de TikTok ofrece repetidamente información errónea a su base de usuarios mayoritariamente jóvenes, según un informe. CNN en Español. https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2022/09/19/tiktok-desinformacioninformetrax/
37. Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information Disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policymaking. Council of Europe.
38. Wardle, C. (2020). Guía básica de First Draft para comprender el desorden informativo (2.ª ed.; A. Reid & V. Kwan, Eds.; Global Lingo, Trad.). First Draft. https://firstdraftnews.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/07/Information_Disorder_Digital_AW _ES.pdf
39. Zhao, Z. (2021). Analysis on the “Douyin (TikTok) mania” phenomenon based on recommendation algorithms. E3S Web of Conferences, 235, 03029. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202123503029
40. Zulli, D., & Zulli, D. J. (2022). Extending the internet meme: Conceptualizing technological mimesis and imitation publics on the TikTok platform. New Media & Society, 24(8), 1872– 1890. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820983603
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Daniella Pérez Muñoa (Author)