SHORT-FORM DEMOCRACY: THE IMPACT OF TIKTOK’S ALGORITHMIC ENVIRONMENT ON THE POLITICAL BEHAVIOR AND VALUES OF MALAYSIAN YOUTH

Abstract

In today’s digital era, TikTok has emerged as a significant and influential platform for youth engagement in political discourse in Malaysia, increasingly serving as an important alternative to traditional mainstream media. This study investigates the mechanisms and motivations underlying youth’s political expression through short-form video content, while also examining how the platform’s dual role as an algorithmic agent structure shapes and reinforces social and political perspectives. Grounded by Media Dependency Theory (MDT and framed within Jürgen Habermas’s concept of the public sphere, this research employs a mixed-methods approach conducted in two phases. The first phase comprised of in-depth interviews with 20 Malaysian youths who actively engaged with political content representing both government and opposition viewpoints. The second phase consisted of a quantitative survey of 800 respondents, with the collected data analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to ensure methodological rigor and validity. Findings then demonstrate a growing distrust among youths towards mainstream newspapers, consequently encouraging greater reliance on TikTok as a trusted, accessible, and timely source of political information. In addition, the platform’s interactive features, particularly its comment sections, play an important role as a public forum in mobilizing youths towards political activity by encouraging discussions, facilitating communication between politicians and citizens. Ultimately, this study contributes valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and relevant stakeholders by highlighting the strategic and transformative role of TikTok in shaping contemporary democratic practices and enhancing political participation among young Malaysians.