unmuted

by Magdalena Katanova

Can an algorithm influence the future of a megapolis? How much power do social media platforms, such as TikTok, have over US politics? Most importantly, is the social media presence of political figures crucial for their election?

Mamdani’s victory speech photographed by Victor Llorente for The New Yorker, November 4th, 2025

Two weeks ago, Zohran Mamdani was elected as the new mayor of New York City. He is a 34-year-old muslim man, whose main opponent in the elections was 67-year-old Andrew Cuomo, former governor of New York. Mamdani got elected with 50.4%, reaching more than a million votes, while Cuomo received 41.6%. The question is: did TikTok only strengthen Mamdani’s political image, or did it truly contribute to his success?

Over the past few years, TikTok–a platform for dancing videos, makeup tutorials, and cleaning videos–has also evolved into a political space used to spread news, debates, and commentaries. TikTok’s unique “For You Page” recommends content to viewers based on their engagement with it, unlike other social media platforms, where users usually choose what posts to see. Consequently, the success of political messages on TikTok relies heavily on the algorithm. However, it is unpredictable, and often, the more casual, unedited videos become viral. On the app, hard work and consistency don’t necessarily correlate to success. An important factor in the mayoral elections was TikTok’s ability to create parasocial relationships between creators and viewers. In this case, this fake closeness can lead to feelings of trust or even a close connection with a political candidate. 

We can confidently say that Mamdani’s social media manager understood the assignment. Although the content on his TikTok account always advertised his campaign, it was filled with humor and informality. Mamdani didn’t fear or reject TikTok’s features, but embraced them. He joined trending audios, appeared in other creators’ videos, and made self-aware jokes about his former rap career. The mayor-elect created content in different languages, including Arabic and Spanish, targeting a diverse range of voters. Ultimately, Mamdani’s TikToks blended perfectly with the viewers’ usual “FYPs.” 

Meme created by X user @ravi_mangla, June 13th, 2025

A turning point in Mamdani’s campaign was the mayoral debate, where his opponent, Andrew Cuomo, mispronounced his name. Mamdani felt no shame in correcting him, spelling out his last name aloud. The mayor-elect even called out Cuomo for his sexual harassment allegations, as well as his resignation from his governor position. Mamdani’s speech was later remixed into a rap song, which became viral, even outside NYC’s borders. 

Moreover, Mamdani was very present and visible in the streets of New York City. He ran the New York Marathon, took the bus to attend the mayoral debate, and some even saw him having a blast at a club a few days before the end of early voting. At the end of the day, he is just a young person who experiences love, joy, and hardship like everyone else. People can easily relate to him because they see him as a human being. As Christian Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University, told ABC News: 

Whether it’s a church or a club, he was there. He’s on the subway. If you say you want to be mayor of New York, he’s actually in lots of different places where people are…It’s reminiscent of the Obama days–at a certain point in time, it’s not about the candidate, it’s about the movement (Forrester). 

So, can we conclude that TikTok had an impact on the New York City mayoral election? The answer is not so simple. However, it is undeniable that Mamdani’s TikTok presence caused voters to “engage” with him daily. His face was constantly on our screens, so we became familiar with him. Today, Mamdani is recognizable not just across NYC but around the world. Kamala Harris’s team took a similar approach during her 2020 presidential campaign. In the span of a year, she rose to fame, achieved huge success, and came incredibly close to becoming president. This strategy works exceptionally well, especially for younger voters, including Gen Z and Millennials. Mamdani’s TikTok presence is what made him unique, shaping the public’s opinion about him and ultimately contributing to his election.