TikTok Promotes Pro-China Content, Says New Jersey Report
A recent report by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) based in New Jersey claims that TikTok has been promoting pro-China content to influence the views of users in the US. The 32-page report, titled The CCP’s Digital Charm Offensive: How TikTok’s Search Algorithm and Pro-China Influence Networks Indoctrinate GenZ Users in the United States, highlights the connection between social media usage and pro-CCP attitudes among users.
The report states that TikTok’s algorithms consistently amplify pro-CCP content and suppress anti-CCP narratives. This pro-CCP content often comes from state-linked entities, including media outlets and influencers. Survey data in the report shows a significant shift in user attitudes towards China, especially among heavy TikTok users, indicating successful indoctrination.
The report also mentions that TikTok has the lowest proportion of anti-China content compared to Instagram and YouTube. For example, searches related to ‘Tiananmen’ on TikTok showed 26.6% pro-China content, compared to 16.3% on Instagram and 7.7% on YouTube. Conversely, anti-China content was more prevalent on YouTube (64.6%) and Instagram (56.3%) than on TikTok (19.6%).
Similar patterns were observed for other search terms like ‘Tibet’ and ‘Uyghur’. The report highlights that TikTok contained the highest proportion of pro-China content and the lowest proportion of anti-China content across all three platforms. For ‘Uyghur’, anti-China content was only 10.7% on TikTok, compared to 19% on YouTube and 84% on Instagram.
The report also notes the involvement of official or semi-official CCP media sources in shaping content on YouTube. Four of the top five most active accounts in search results for ‘Xinjiang’ were official or semi-official CCP media sources, generating a significant portion of pro-China content on the platform.
Doubts Revealed
TikTok -: TikTok is a popular app where people can share short videos. It’s used by many people around the world, including in India.
Pro-China Content -: Pro-China content means information or videos that show China in a positive light or support the Chinese government.
New Jersey -: New Jersey is a state in the United States of America. It’s where the report was made.
Network Contagion Research Institute -: The Network Contagion Research Institute is a group that studies how information spreads on the internet.
Algorithms -: Algorithms are like special computer instructions that decide what videos or posts you see on apps like TikTok.
CCP -: CCP stands for the Chinese Communist Party, which is the ruling political party in China.
Narratives -: Narratives are stories or ways of presenting information. In this case, it means how information about China is shown.
Instagram -: Instagram is another app where people share photos and videos. It’s also popular in India.
YouTube -: YouTube is a website where people can watch and share videos. Many people in India use it to watch all kinds of videos.
Official CCP media sources -: These are news channels or websites that are controlled by the Chinese government to share their official news and views.