Draft:Cartel TikTok

Cartel Tiktok is a genre of short-form videos depicting the activities of narcotic trafficking groups. The videos, created by the cartels, have been described as a means to boost recruitment and cover up the mass killings. Cartel Tiktok has gained traction on other platforms within social media, and can be found on Instagram and YouTube.

Cartel content circulates on social media app TikTok and has gained popularity the website's algorithm that promotes additional similar content to viewers after viewing an initial video, which drives demand, promoting the videos. Alejandra Leon Olvera, an anthropologist studying the social media presence of Mexican organized crime, said of Cartel TikTok that "The message has to be quick, it has to be engaging, and it has to be viral. Violence becomes fun, or even put to music." She defines this format of content as "narco-marketing." Cartel TikTok functions as a platform for young adults to appear as members of a organized cartel, hence promoting violent activities, and driving recruitment and support for violent Mexican, Colombian, and Haitian cartels.