The Gen Z divide that could decide the next election

The future of American politics might be decided by whether young voters get most of their news through TikTok.

I don’t mean to single out the Chinese-owned vertical video app here. TikTok is a stand-in for a bigger phenomenon in modern American society: passive news consumption and incidental exposure, or the sense that news and information find their way to people.

As opposed to active news consumers — who are seeking out information, want to keep up with current events, and are more engaged with politics — passive news consumers encounter things in passing while scanning headlines on social media apps and video feeds or see and hear current events discussed by influencers on TikTok or their weekly podcasts. Politics might not be central to their lives. They might not be frequent voter