The hate we don't see
#50
The Story
Fake news and hate speech on TikTok
Tell me.
TikTok is available in over 160 countries and has over 1.7 billion users, with about 50 per cent of TikTok creators worldwide between the ages of 18 and 24. It has overtaken Google as the most popular website. But other than Google, TikTok has become a hub for harmful content, including misinformation, propaganda and hate speech. Nearly 1 in 5 of the videos automatically suggested by the platform contain misinformation. These results are particularly relevant because TikTok is increasingly being used as a search engine by young people. The Wall Street Journal called TikTok the “new Google.”
Why isn't such misinformation being stopped?
Nuurrianti Jalli, a researcher for misinformation and Assistant Professor at the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University, USA, says: “It appears that despite having a definitive policy against damaging content, including misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, any enforcement has been insufficient. Content that clearly breached TikTok's guidelines has continued to persist on the platform.”
So again, why?
Maybe TikTok can’t; maybe they don’t want to.
What are the consequences?
An entire generation of young people, whose political judgement is still developing, is being bombarded with fake news. The number may even increase in the future because of the possibilities of using artificial intelligence (Right, Taylor Swift?).
Why do fake news and hate speech work so well on TikTok?
An average TikTok session consists of consuming hundreds of videos in a very short period of time. Within a few seconds, users would have to decide whether they consider a specific video credible – or not. This is practically impossible. In addition: Users are shown videos from all kinds of accounts (not just the ones they follow) – based on their own interests. New accounts can also go viral immediately – a gateway for disinformation actors. And finally: People are more likely to notice and share emotional messages. For example, if they are upset about something. Hate speech and misinformation often work on this excitement. The algorithms of TikTok (but also of most social media platforms) promote content that is liked or shared by many users.
How To Save Democracy
It's high time we rethink digital media. We, the older ones, don't see what happens millions of times every day on young people's cell phones (and admittedly not just on the mobiles of the younger generation). I am sure that the social outcry and consequences would be radical if that was shown on television or printed in newspapers. But as it is, little happens. An entire generation whose political judgement is immature due to its age watches lies and deceit daily, financed, among others, by those interested in the decline of democracy. – Therefore, this is what has to be done. First, governments must enforce social media platforms to ensure they effectively implement their policies, especially on disinformation and hate speech. Second, and here again, Nuurrianti Jalli: “Governments should promote and support digital literacy initiatives. It’s important to educate the public about the importance of critical thinking when consuming information online. This includes understanding how algorithms work, how to verify information, and how to report misleading or harmful content.” Third, we need an institution to supervise those platforms. For example, a regulatory body consisting of government representatives, industry experts, civil society organisations, and academics. This body would oversee the implementation of regulations, manage disputes, and provide recommendations for policy updates. And last but not least: It’s up to all of us. We can start an account on TikTok and begin to counteract the many fakes circulating.
Notes:
https://whatsthebigdata.com/tiktok-statistics/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/technology/tiktok-deepfakes-disinformation.html
https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/september-2022/
