Tracing the rise of Russian state media on TikTok
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Russian state-affiliated accounts have accelerated their use of TikTok since the start of 2024. In 2022, 57 accounts posted at least once during the year, with just one posting on average twice per day. In 2024 so far, 46 accounts have posted, with three averaging 10 or more posts a day. Although Russian state-affiliated accounts are far more active on other platforms, engagement per post on TikTok is much higher. 44 of the top 50 most engaged with posts in 2024 hail from TikTok, while the remaining six were shared by accounts on X. Posts pertaining to U.S. politics make up a small percentage of overall content shared by Russian state-affiliated accounts, but they represent a slightly higher percentage of total posts on TikTok than on X or Telegram. Spanish-language posts focused on U.S. politics are among the most popular on TikTok. Among posts about U.S. politics on TikTok from Russian state-affiliated accounts, wedge issues feature prominently. Russia's overt messaging has begun to adapt to an evolving information ecosystem made up of many more platforms with distinct identities. Russia's increased presence on TikTok coincides with the start of the 2024 U.S. presidential election cycle. TikTok's appeal to young voters in the United States offers an optimal avenue to spread Russian messaging about the U.S. political climate to a critical voting bloc. Russian state-backed accounts have broadened their online strategies to incorporate more regular content creation on TikTok. Despite ongoing questions about the future of TikTok's ownership, it remains critical to not wholly ignore or disengage from the platform entirely. Russia's increased presence on TikTok does not necessarily mean that this content will impact voter preferences in any meaningful way. However, the trends presented highlight a clear shift in Russia's overt strategy for disseminating its preferred messaging abroad around topics of domestic importance to platforms beyond X. Additional efforts by researchers to investigate the scope and influence of Russian propaganda in a pivotal election year should remain a priority.

#RussianStateMedia #Tiktok #SocialMedia #Propaganda #UsPolitics #Engagement

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tracing-the-rise-of-russian-state-media-on-tiktok/