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How an Ecosystem of Information Manipulation Thrives on TikTok

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By TaiwanPlus News

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TikTok and its Chinese counterpart Douyin have turned into some of the fastest-growing apps in Taiwan and internationally. However, with that growth has come increased information manipulation, particularly as the Chinese-owned company has been accused of allowing the Chinese Communist Party to target Taiwanese users. A recent DoubleThink Lab report has weighed in, suggesting people who use TikTok or Douyin may view politics and culture differently than those who don't or who rarely use the app. In this episode of Zoom In Zoom Out, DoubleThink Lab researcher Eric Hsu discusses the findings and the wider problems surrounding TikTok and social media addiction.

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Nearly a quarter of Taiwan’s adult population uses TikTok or its Chinese counterpart, Douyin (抖音), and the social media app’s explosive growth is sparking growing concern about its influence on political attitudes and national resilience, according to new findings by a Taiwan-based think tank. 

 

DoubleThink Lab, a research organization focused on Chinese influence and disinformation, recently published a series of reports suggesting that TikTok is not only shaping how Taiwanese people consume information but also reinforcing political bias and potentially weakening public resistance to authoritarian narratives from China. 

 

“The short-form type of video is actually being brought by TikTok and it kind of permanently changes people’s habits on information-consuming,” said Eric Hsu, a researcher at Doublethink. He noted the platform’s unique algorithm and design encourage addictive behaviors and limit critical engagement with content. 

 

One significant finding revealed that frequent TikTok users are more likely to blame Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for online disinformation campaigns, while less frequent users tend to blame China. This, Hsu explained, contributes to polarization and erodes trust in Taiwan’s democratic institutions. “Everything is not a single case,” he said. “It correlated with each other.” 

 

The study also showed that among TikTok users, more people believe that “even if Taiwan were unified, the ordinary citizens’ life won’t have significant change.” Some also viewed the PRC as more “livable” than Taiwan and supported compromising democratic systems for peace across the Taiwan Strait. 

 

Young people, a key TikTok demographic, appear particularly vulnerable. “I found that the younger generation has a sense of powerlessness and insensitivity to quite a lot of things,” Hsu said. He warned this emotional disengagement could leave Taiwan’s democracy exposed. 

 

While the study stops short of recommending a full TikTok ban, Hsu emphasized the need for further research and public discussion and called for more civic education as well as digital literacy campaigns to counteract the platform’s influence.