Communication psychopathologies in the presidential election campaign in Romania
Year: 2025 | Issue: 86 | pg. 18 - pg. 29
Authors:
- PhD professor Andra Seceleanu View ORCID profile
[email protected] | „Andrei Șaguna" University of Constanta, Romania - PhD Student & Assistant Lecturer Bianca Ioana Garabet View ORCID profile
[email protected] | PhD Student at ‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza’ University of Iași, University assistant at the ‘Andrei Șaguna’ University of Constanta, Romania
Published on: 25/06/2025
Abstract:
This paper aims to investigate how communicational psychopathology influenced the 2024 presidential camping in Romania, focusing on regulatory controversies and the role of TikTok platform in disseminating political messages. In the context of electoral competitions increasingly dominated by the online environment, this study analyzes how manipulation techniques and self-presentation tendencies affect public perception and trust in the democratic process. The research highlights that, in the 2024 electoral camping, communication strategies were amplified by legislative controversies regarding online content regulation, particularly on TikTok, where highly emotional messages were spread rapidly, sometimes in a distorted or alarmist manner. The situation created a climate of uncertainty among voters, who faced a massive flow of information, often designed to induce panic and social division, ultimately leading to a crisis of trust in the state institutions. The analysis focuses on how manipulation strategies and the tendency for artificial self-presentation – also described through the concept of Spectacle 2.0 – are often designed to generate intense emotional responses by using fear-inducing and divisive techniques, which influence electoral decisions and public perception. Through this integrated approach, the paper seeks to highlight how information manipulation and distorted self-presentation contribute to cognitive dissonance and a crisis of trust in the democratic process, emphasizing the need to promote ethical and transparent communication practices to strengthen public dialogue.
Keywords:
Manipulation, Political Influence, TikTok, Democratic Trust
The psychopathology of communication in electoral campaigns can be analyzed through the strategies used in negative campaigning, particularly in relation to information manipulation and the increasing influence of social networks in shaping public opinion. Negative campaigning, especially in Romania, has been used as a common tool to discredit political opponents since the end of communism, particularly during Ion Iliescu’s presidential campaigns in the 1990s. During that period, direct messages and personal attacks against opponents were used to shape public opinion. These tactics may be regarded as manifestations of communication pathology, because they express an intention to manipulate, aiming to distort reality and construct a false image of political adversaries (Mureșan, 2022). In the 1990 election, Iliescu and his supporters made negative propaganda against the opposition; a notable example was the “Mineriads” event, where miners were mobilized to suppress anti-FSN protests, portraying the opposition as ”enemies of the people”. The campaign also employed fear-based messages, warning of a potential return of the “bourgeoisie” and insinuating that opposition parties intended to restore a capitalist system that would deprive workers of their rights. The concept of „psychopathology” in political communication refers to the totality of strategies used by political parties or candidates to resort to manipulative and misleading discourse, aiming to instill fear, confusion, social fragmentation, and emotional influence over the population. These strategies are present in most international political scenarios, reflecting a global trend toward manipulative communication techniques to shape public opinion (Almela et al., 2015).