Taiwan’s “DoubleThink Lab” has released a new survey indicating that Taiwanese users who spend more time on TikTok are more likely to adopt a pro-China stance, and even show a certain level of acceptance towards abandoning democracy. According to a report from The Guardian on June 6th, the survey conducted in March of this year focused on cross-strait relations, democratic institutions, and the issue of reunification. Data shows that heavy TikTok users are more likely to agree with statements such as “Taiwan lacks freedom of speech” and “reunification is inevitable,” and some even feel that “democracy can be sacrificed for the sake of peace.”
Among supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), 26.8% of TikTok users agree with sacrificing democracy for peace, which is 10 percentage points higher than non-users. Researcher Eric Hsu pointed out that TikTok may influence users’ political attitudes, causing individuals who were originally anti-communist to develop a favorable view of the Chinese Communist Party, and even oppose democratic institutions.
For instance, in the statement “Taiwan lacks freedom of speech,” 23.9% of TikTok users agree, compared to only 9.3% of non-users. TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has long been criticized for its content mechanisms aligning with Chinese Communist propaganda objectives. Several countries have restricted or banned TikTok use, and the Taiwanese government has also banned the installation of the app on official devices.
Yu-hui Tai, Assistant Professor at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, noted that the Chinese Communist Party has always emphasized using both “the gun and the pen,” with TikTok being one of its propaganda tools. Taiwan is currently on the frontlines of a complex propaganda assault.
As early as 2019, The Guardian revealed that TikTok cooperated with Beijing in suppressing sensitive topics. In 2023, a study from Rutgers University in the United States indicated that TikTok’s algorithm amplifies pro-Communist content while stifling anti-Communist voices.
Despite ByteDance’s strong denial, Titus C. Chen, a researcher at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, pointed out that even if users are not seeking out political content, the algorithm pushes content based on interests, potentially leading to the gradual infiltration of pro-China content. He emphasized that on TikTok, content is heavily influenced by the Chinese government, and pro-freedom democratic voices are nearly absent.
This report has once again raised concerns about the influence and penetration of TikTok in Taiwanese society, especially among young people.