Title: Before SCOTUS Hearing, Research Suggests TikTok Could Be Tool for Chinese Propaganda
Preparing for the Supreme Court's upcoming hearing on whether the U.S. government can ban TikTok, researchers from the Network Contagion Research Institute at Rutgers University are reinforcing their argument that the social media platform serves as a propaganda tool for the Chinese government. Their findings, to be published in Frontiers in Social Psychology, suggest that TikTok's algorithm underrepresents content critical of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) talking points, despite it generating high user engagement.
Directly analyzing TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube content related to keywords like "Tiananmen," "Tibet," "Uyghur," and "Xinjiang," the NCRI found that TikTok delivered fewer anti-CCP posts compared to Instagram and YouTube. Additionally, TikTok users showed increased engagement with anti-CCP content, yet the algorithm delivered more pro-CCP content, a trend not replicated on Instagram or YouTube.
Surveying 1,214 American users about their social media usage and China's human rights record, the researchers found that those who spent extended time on any social media platform generally favored positive views, with significant favoritism shown by those who spent over 3 hours daily on TikTok. Although the researchers admit they cannot conclusively prove that prolonged TikTok usage induces more favorable views toward China, this trend raises suspicions of TikTok being a vehicle for CCP propaganda.
While ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has countered these allegations by criticizing the study's methodology, it has yet to present compelling evidence refuting the claims. With the Supreme Court's decision expected, the debate on TikTok's role in propagating Chinese propaganda intensifies. Other social media platforms also gather user data and suppress content that might anger governments, but the concern over TikTok primarily stems from its Chinese ownership and potential vulnerability to CCP influence.
The upcoming technology revolution in the digital media landscape might see a shift in how platforms like TikTok handle content related to sensitive topics like China's human rights record. In light of these concerns, advancements in tech could provide tools to ensure fair and unbiased representation of all viewpoints.
Moving forward, the role of tech giants like TikTok in shaping public perception through content distribution will be under scrutiny in the future, particularly in relation to geopolitical tensions and state propaganda.
