War Via TikTok: Russia's New Tool for Propaganda

[Wicked Blue]

NBCWashington
By David Klepper • Published 2 hours ago • Updated 2 hours ago

A Russian TikTok video has it all: a cat, puppies and a pulsing background beat. It's cute, watchable and hardly seems the stuff of state propaganda.

In 2014, Russia flooded the internet with fake accounts pushing disinformation about its takeover of Crimea. Eight years later, experts say Russia is mounting a far more sophisticated effort as it invades Ukraine.

In the cat video, a husky puppy identified by a digitally inserted U.S. flag swipes at the tail of a tabby identified by a Russian flag. The cat responds with a ferocious jab that sends the hapless dog scurrying. The clip, which has been viewed 775,000 times in two weeks, is the work of an account named Funrussianprezident that boasts 310,000 followers. Almost all of its videos feature pro-Russian content.

“It could just be a patriotic Russian fighting the good fight as they see it, or it could easily be something directly affiliated with the state,” said Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation researcher and expert on Eastern Europe at the Wilson Center in Washington. “Russia has been perfecting these tactics.”

More at link

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/war-via-tiktok-russias-new-tool-for-propaganda/2984363/

[PortTack]

1. For those that think TikTok is fluff..you are missing out on a vast platform of valuable information

And knowledgeable creators

[uponit7771]

2. Tik Tok is owned by Chinese company, damn China ... you're on the wrong side of history

[peggysue2]

3. Except they're really not working this time, the packets of disinformation

Maybe it's because we've been drowning in propaganda for the last five years. Or maybe it's because the world is paying more attention this time than when Putin crashed into Crimea. Or maybe the Russian trolls have just lost their touch.

The world has coalesced around the Ukrainian cause. Even the Russian people are on their side. Zelensky is becoming a global hero of mega proportions. The only people buying into this stuff are the White Nationalists, the haters, the minority.

As for Putin? The world is seeing the man for who and what he is--a crazed thug flailing, shouting, killing. Out of control.