• On TikTok, the deputy La France insoumise (LFI) of the tenth district of Essonne, Antoine Léaument, has more than 97,000 subscribers.
  • Excerpts from sessions at the National Assembly, discussions with the oppositions in committee, a radio morning show or a decryption in front of the camera... His videos record several thousand (and sometimes millions) views.
  • The parliamentarian is not a beginner. Before being elected MP, he was in charge of digital communication for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, in charge of the presidential candidate's strategy in 2022 on TikTok and Twitch.

He has 97,000 followers on TikTok and his videos have several thousand to several million views. @aleaument is neither a comedian nor a beauty influencer, but a member of parliament for La France insoumise. Antoine Léaument, his real name, shares almost daily on the social network videos of extracts of sessions at the National Assembly, discussion with the oppositions in committee, passage in a morning radio or decryption in front of the camera of a current topic.

And for good reason, the man is far from being a beginner when it comes to TikTok. This elected representative of the tenth district of Essonne is none other than the former head of digital communication of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, at the head of the strategy of the presidential candidate in 2022 on TikTok and Twitch. Just recently, the MNA also launched a transpartisan study group on social networks at the National Assembly, of which he became chair. Why did the platform appeal to the parliamentarian? What message does he want to convey? And why is his account so successful? To find out, 20 Minutes asked the question to the main interested party: Antoine Léaument.

Why did you create a TikTok account?

Before being elected MP in the 10th constituency of Essonne, I was responsible for Jean-Luc Mélenchon's digital communication. I opened my TikTok account at the same time as I created his, in 2021, to share content, video clips. In the beginning, I always did everything in duplicate to test content on my account before publishing it on his. But whether for Jean-Luc Mélenchon or for myself, since I became an MP, I have always had the same strategy: to be present on all social networks. Because each platform has a type of audience. In the end, now everyone uses at least one social network, be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTok. It's a bit like the media, some only watch TF1, never M6 or BFMTV. There, it's the same. The goal, by being present everywhere, is to reach the widest possible spectrum.

Do you publish the same content on all social networks?

Not quite. Each social network has its own grammar, its particular language. For example, the grammar is a bit the same for TikTok and Instagram, that's why I publish almost the same content on both platforms.

But it's true that TikTok has some very interesting features. First, its algorithm offers its users content that it thinks will interest them. So I reach people who don't follow me but who are potentially interested in politics or current events. Moreover, these people do not always share my ideas or do not necessarily agree with me. That's interesting. Above all, the algorithm offers new content. That is, you can have cat videos, and all of a sudden, you come across one of my videos. It allows me to reach a wide audience, which I would not have been able to reach with traditional media or meetings.

@aleaument

IN 50 DAYS, you want to fly 2 YEARS OF LIFE #Retraites

♬ Original sound - Antoine Léaument 🇫🇷

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What are you looking for when posting content on TikTok?

For me, TikTok - and this goes for all other social networks - is not a communication tool but an information tool. My videos are there to inform about what La France insoumise stands for, the measures we are calling for or those of the government we are denouncing. These are videos around topics related to pension reform, wage increases, students, farmers and tolls. It speaks to people.

@aleaument

Conflicts of interest in the National Assembly? I ask. #retraite #directan

♬ Original sound - Antoine Léaument 🇫🇷

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Do you hope that people buy into your ideas with these videos?

That's not the point. TikTok gives me the chance to have my message viewed by as many people as possible, whether they agree with me or not. Even among people who don't share my ideas, it can spark interest in learning more. And sometimes, it can convince them, and make them want to become activists, to get involved with us.

For example, in 2017, we published on Jean-Luc Mélenchon's Facebook account a video of his first ten measures if elected. It has made 15 million views. A few days later, I am in Paris, near Les Halles. I come across a man who distributes leaflets for Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He told me that he had seen the video, that he agreed with all the measures and that he wanted to help him become president.

But is the platform really suitable for political content?

Indeed, political topics are not always the sexiest content in the world. They have to be adapted to the platform. You have to add a little humor, because it's part of the character of TikTok. Moreover, if we do not do it, we are out of step with what people expect from this platform, what they come looking for. After that, the difficulty is to find the right balance between the tone wanted by TikTok and the seriousness of my function. You have to be good in the codes, but not bite the line in a way that can be degrading to the function.

@aleaument

2 MPs reveal the secret of Dussopt 🤫 #Retraites @hadrien.clouet

♬ Original sound - Antoine Léaument 🇫🇷

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Does it also allow you to reach a younger audience, to get younger people interested in politics?

It is certain that young people prefer TikTok more than other social networks. But I reject the idea that young people are not interested in politics. Just look at what is happening in the streets in recent days, it is the demonstration that they are interested. We see that there is a young generation of politicians expressing themselves in the streets. Many of them have become politicized on social networks elsewhere.

Why did you launch a study group on social media at the Assembly?

When I arrived at the National Assembly in June 2022, I found it crazy that there was no study group on the subject. There are bands for everything, but not for that. However, there is hardly anyone left who does not use at least one social network. So, with this study group, of which I took the chair, we will get on the subject. We defined four themes: the impact of algorithms on information capacity, public health issues, the practices of influencers and the regulation of the sector and finally the question of the security of these platforms.

What do you think of the France's decision to ban "recreational apps" on the phones of state officials?

It is rather a good thing that the state protects itself against potential loopholes. But if we go that way, we should apply it to all citizens and to all applications. All platforms can present security risks. In fact, at first, we focused on TikTok, but now we understand that all social networks are considered at risk. It raises the question of their use. Moreover, this questioning of security vulnerabilities is a priority theme that we want to address with this study group.

  • Tech
  • By the Web
  • TikTok
  • Deputy
  • Ile
  • National Assembly
  • La France Insoumise (LFI)
  • Social Media
  • Jean-Luc Mélenchon