Social Media, Humanism, and Democracy: The Role of TikTok in the 2024 Presidential Campaign in Mexico

Abstract

This article will address the use of TikTok as a political communication tool in Jorge Álvarez Máynez's presidential campaign in the 2024 Mexican elections. In a context of apathy toward traditional politics and the exponential growth of social media, TikTok is emerging as one of the main platforms in the electoral battlefield, where more than competing for ideas, it's competing for the attention of young audiences. Theoretical Foundation: The research is based on contributions from digital political communication, emotional technopolitics, and algorithm theory. Authors such as Castells (2009), Gerbaudo (2018, 2022), Cervi, Tejedor and Blesa (2023) and Rodríguez (2025) explain how digital environments reconfigure the political map, privileging aesthetics, charisma and virality over programmatic argumentation. Methodology: A qualitative content analysis was carried out on thirty videos officially published on Máynez's account, between March and May 2024. The speeches, performative elements, musical and humorous resources, as well as citizen interaction were studied, paying special attention to user reception and participation. Results: The campaign was characterized by a strategic and intensive use of the platform, with visual and emotional narratives that generated high levels of interaction. In a poorly regulated electoral environment, Máynez achieved an

unprecedented communication advantage, driven by algorithms that favored performative and emotional discourses, giving her disproportionate visibility compared to her opponents. Conclusion: TikTok doesn't democratize, but rather personalizes; it doesn't equalize but fragments; and far from strengthening democratic deliberation, it displaces it toward an attention market dominated by algorithmic logic.