As social media continues to evolve, the political influence of platforms such as TikTok grows alongside it. Increasingly, social media has become a primary source of communication and news collection, creating an environment of constant spread of political ideas and contestation. This study uses a survey experiment with over 900 respondents to analyze the impact of TikTok consumption on political polarization and people’s attitudes towards individuals with different political beliefs. Specifically, the survey experiment compares the impact of two different mechanisms, echo chambers and conflicting views, on respondents through its distribution of participants across four conditions.
Descriptive and comparative analysis of the experiment shows that while direct effects on views on polarization are minimal, different conditions have significant impacts on variables such as content enjoyment. Echo chambers are demonstrated to increase content enjoyment and reinforce participants’ pre-existing political beliefs. Social media platforms may not be the primary cause of polarization; however, this survey shows a pattern of ideology reinforcement through TikTok consumption. Overall, the results of this study contribute to a growing interest in the role of social media in public discourse and the evolution of political marketing, underscoring the need for further research and analysis across different social media platforms.