Italian politicians are on the virtual hunt for undecided voters.
Over the summer, when polls suggested most of those who had yet to choose a side were under 30, the party alumni took it to the next level: TikTok.
This month Silvio Berlusconi, 85, who served as Italy’s four-time prime minister, landed on the social media platform which is mostly popular among young people, explaining why he was there at his age.
“On this platform, you are over five million, and 60% of you are under 30. I’m a bit envious,” Berlusconi said, raising and lowering his voice for dramatic effect. “We will talk about your future.”
The video has been viewed 9.6 million times, raising some eyebrows.
“You are not so stupid that a video on TikTok is enough to vote for you,” said Emma Galeotti, a young TikTok content creator. “You send the message that we young people are so malleable and bonkers.”
But Mr. Berlusconi’s communications team did not give up. His profile is full of snapshots of his television appearances and classic Berlusconi jokes, as well as political messages recorded in his studio, where he is seen wearing smart blue suits – and often ties.
Viewers noticed her cultured appearance.
“What is your foundation cream? we asked. “Cream is too orange, more natural tones are better,” wrote another.
“The rebound was comical or grotesque, but being on TikTok allowed it to be at the center of the electoral debate,” said Annalisa Ferretti, coordinator of the social media division of Italian advocacy group FB & Associati, who noted that the number of people following Mr. Berlusconi’s profile had exceeded 3.2 million in three weeks.
“The problem is that this generation rejects the political class as a whole,” she said, adding that such popularity on social media does not translate directly into votes.
Other politicians have chosen different paths. Matteo Salvini, 49, of the far-right League party, who has been on TikTok for years and has 635,600 followers, uses the platform primarily as a spokesperson for his meat and bone topics – the security and immigration.
Giorgia Meloni, 45, the leader of the Brethren of Italy and possibly the next prime minister, doesn’t seem to be doing so well on TikTok, despite her successful election campaign. She has 197,700 subscribers.
University students seem to appreciate the leader of the centrist Action party, Carlo Calenda, 49, who posts short political messages, answers questions received on the platform and discusses books, Ms Ferretti said. But he only has around 24,300 subscribers.
The center-left Democratic Party is the only party that offers a plurality of votes on TikTok. They post thematic videos with topics addressed by politicians who are the symbol of such issues, such as Alessandro Zan, 48, for the civil rights battle. Enrico Letta, 56, a party leader, recently encouraged users to go vote – for whoever they wanted. “Other people shouldn’t decide your future,” he said.
Despite politicians’ efforts to reach a different audience, abstention still seems to be the main threat to the parties and to Italian democracy.
“They used to say, ‘The seats are full and the ballot boxes are empty,'” Ms Ferretti said. “Now it’s more and more the social networks that are full, and the ballot boxes are empty.”