From: allin
A Pew Research study highlights a significant shift in how younger adults consume news, with TikTok emerging as a primary source [01:03:45].
Key Findings from Pew Research
- Increased Reliance: Four in ten US adults aged 18 to 29 now regularly obtain their news from TikTok [01:03:57].
- User Base: Among all TikTok users, 52% regularly get their news from the platform [01:04:16].
- Skyrocketing Growth: This figure has dramatically risen from 22% previously, indicating that TikTok is “no longer just dancing” [01:04:43].
- Comparison to Other Platforms: While platforms like X (59%), Facebook (48%), YouTube (37%), and Instagram (40%) are also news sources, TikTok’s growth in this area is particularly notable [01:04:26].
Concerns Regarding National Security and Disinformation
The growing prominence of TikTok as a news source has raised concerns, particularly within the government, regarding its potential as an “attack vector” for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which controls the company [01:04:45].
Concerns include:
- Algorithmic Manipulation: The algorithm is considered a “black box,” raising fears it could be tweaked to influence sentiment among young, impressionable users [01:05:17].
- Foreign Influence: The potential for foreign entities to pay influencers to create and algorithmically amplify content supporting specific perspectives, thereby sowing chaos and mistrust in the news ecosystem, has been discussed [01:11:50]. This could be a strategy to create mistrust in the entire information system, leading people to “give up trying to figure out what the truth is” [01:13:50].
Counterarguments and Context
Despite these concerns, some argue that the fear of TikTok as a propaganda tool is an exaggeration or “moral panic” [01:09:59].
- Entertainment Focus: A significant majority (95%) of adult TikTok users state their primary reason for using the app is for entertainment [01:05:40].
- Limited Political Content: Only 10% of accounts followed by US adults on the platform post content related to political or social issues, meaning 90% of followed accounts are dedicated to entertainment [01:05:50].
- Content Volume: The sheer volume of content created by individuals for free or as part of their careers makes it difficult for any single disinformation strategy to have a significant impact, as any engineered effort becomes “a drop in the bucket” amid billions of impressions [01:13:10].
- Passive Listening Allegations: The possibility of TikTok passively listening even when not in use is considered very unlikely (5%) [01:10:13]. Audits of early versions of the app by external parties did not find evidence of such technology, and Apple maintains a robust audit system for apps [01:10:20].
Many young people are also getting their news from podcasts, which are then “chopped up and clipped” and consumed on TikTok [01:11:10]. This indicates that TikTok serves as a distribution channel for diverse content, including news.
The ongoing discussion around a potential TikTok ban in the US and US-China relations continues to highlight the intricate relationship between social media, news consumption, and national security concerns.