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Copyright

Inari Sakki;

Published On

2025-05-02

Page Range

pp. 153–172

Language

  • English

7. Unveiling populist tactics on TikTok

A multimodal critical discursive psychology approach

  • Inari Sakki (author)
Chapter of: Imagery of Hate Online(pp. 153–172)
This chapter investigates the use of multimodal communication by Riikka Purra, leader of the Finnish populist radical right-wing Finns Party (FP), on TikTok. It aims to uncover how Purra uses multimodal tactics to deliver her populist messages, especially during the 2023 Finnish parliamentary elections. The study employs a multimodal critical discursive psychology (MCDP) approach to analyze 59 TikTok videos posted by Purra preceding the 2023 elections. This methodology integrates critical discursive psychology with multimodal discourse analysis to scrutinize the content, form, and function of Purra's political communication. The analysis focuses on identifying patterns of multimodal functions in her TikTok posts, emphasizing verbal, visual, and sonic components.

The research identifies four primary multimodal functions in Purra's TikTok communication: othering, colloquialization, mocking, and victimization. These are accomplished through various multimodal resources, including emojis, casual attire, direct camera engagement, and intertextual references. The study shows how these elements simplify complex political messages, foster intimacy with viewers, and strategically obscure derogatory rhetoric. The findings indicate that TikTok's multimodal affordances allow populist politicians to modernize their image and connect with younger audiences. This research contributes to the limited understanding of TikTok as a tool for populist political communication.

Contributors

Inari Sakki

(author)
https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/fi/persons/inari-sakki

Prof. Inari Sakki, D.Soc.Sc., is Professor in Social Psychology at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Inari’s core interests lie in the field of societal and political social psychology, including research on political discourse, nationalism, populism, political and online hate speech, and discursive, visual, and multimodal methodologies. Inari’s work has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and volumes in the fields of social and political psychology, nationalism and memory studies, education, communication, qualitative research methods, and discourse studies. She recently edited the book “Qualitative Approaches to the Social Psychology of Populism: Unmasking Populist Appeal” (2025, Routledge).