The video content on TikTok is a real news wasteland, the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security notes, citing research data, UNN reports.
Details
It was found that out of 6,568 videos that were positioned as news content, only six were real news, according to a study by New York Times researcher Nick Hagar and Nicholas Diacopoulos of Northwestern University in Illinois:
- links that could be used by media outlets to direct users from the platform to their websites are removed;
- Not enough is being done to label and position news and allow users to assess its credibility.
The For You Page algorithm practically does not display news content, even if it is filled with active signals to engage them, the researchers add.
Addendum
The StratCom Center reminded that TikTok is actively using Russian propaganda to promote Kremlin narratives, including the Russian war in Ukraine, because the platform does not fight such content.