Frequent TikTok users in Taiwan are more likely to hold certain political views aligned with Beijing’s narratives, according to a recent survey by Taiwan-based NGO DoubleThink Lab.
Conducted in March and released on June 5, the survey compared "active" TikTok users - defined as those who use the app several times a week for over 30 minutes per session or several times a day with shorter sessions - with "inactive" users who spend less time on the platform. It explored their views on a range of issues including cross-strait relations, democracy and U.S. support for Taiwan.
All respondents affiliated with Taiwan’s three main parties - the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party - mostly disagreed with the statement: "For the sake of cross-strait peace, it is okay to give up the democratic system."
Photo: Reuters
However, only 73.1 percent of active DPP supporters disagreed, compared with 83.4 percent of inactive users.
In response to another statement: "The DPP is no different from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that Taiwan lacks freedom of speech" - 23.9 percent of active DPP users agreed, compared with just 9.3 percent of inactive users.
Eric Hsu (徐葆權) of DoubleThink Lab said that the findings show that frequent TikTok users, regardless of political affiliation, are more likely to hold pro-China views and be skeptical of Taiwan’s political system.
The survey also asked respondents whether they agreed that cross-strait unification would "not significantly change ordinary people’s lives." Among active TikTok users, 45.2 percent agreed, higher than the 33.2 percent of inactive users.
DoubleThink Lab said in its analysis that because TikTok delivers entertainment and political content side by side, it could influence users’ views on certain issues and their receptiveness to specific political narratives.
Hsu said the survey was carried out amid concerns about TikTok’s security risks and China’s "united front" efforts - a coordinated campaign by the CCP to influence politics abroad and suppress opposition.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech firm widely seen as operating under CCP oversight.
Since 2019, Taiwan has banned TikTok, Douyin (抖音) - the Chinese-language version - and China’s social media app Xiaohongshu (小紅書), or Rednote, from government devices and official premises over national security concerns.
According to data from Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top academic research institution, over 50 percent of high school students and younger use TikTok or Douyin, Hsu said.
The survey gathered 2,612 valid online responses, including 1,097 active users and 1,515 inactive users.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS