The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using TikTok as a “modern-day Trojan horse” to inject its propaganda into the minds of American youth, according to a restricted Chinese military journal revealed in a new book by Peter Schweitzer. It is said that there is Blood Money: Why those in power turn a blind eye while China kills Americans.
in blood moneySchweitzer, a senior contributor at Breitbart News and director of the Government Accountability Institute, exposed the words of a Chinese strategist himself promoting the use of TikTok in “information-driven psychological warfare” against the United States.
As Schweizer points out, TikTok is run by ByteDance, which has “ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s military, intelligence, and industrial complex.” Although the app “has entered the heart of American culture and is central to the lives of children and young people,” the Chinese government does not allow its citizens to use the app, he wrote. Instead, the Chinese Communist Party has used the app’s addictive properties to target the minds of America’s youth for its own purposes, while designating TikTok’s powerful algorithms as a top-secret “national security asset.” and are forming.
On September 16, 2020, the headquarters of ByteDance, the parent company of video sharing app TikTok, is located in Beijing, China. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
Colonel Dai Xu, a professor at China’s top military school, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) National Defense University (PLA-NDU), wrote in one of the restricted magazines that the real battle between the United States and China is “information-driven. ”. He titled it “Psychological Warfare,” and likened apps like TikTok and social media platforms to “modern-day Trojan horses.”
Another key strategist of the People’s Liberation Army, Zeng Huafeng of the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), wrote about cognitive or spiritual warfare against the United States and proposed ways to defeat the United States without firing a shot.
Schweitzer writes:
Zeng defines “cognitive space” as “the area where emotions, perceptions, understandings, beliefs, and values reside,” and argues that this is where the battle can be won. To that end, the Chinese government must use information and popular psychological and “Cultural products” need to be utilized. According to Zeng, cultural tools such as apps, video games, and movies should be used to “target individuals, groups, countries, and even people around the world.”
Zeng further argued that the Chinese government can gain “spiritual superiority” through several means, including:
- “Cognitive manipulation” by propaganda that changes people’s views on the current situation
- “Cut off historical memory” by distorting people’s views of their country’s past so that people are willing to change their values.
- “Change the paradigm of thinking” by targeting people to change the way they see problems and thereby change their beliefs.
- “Symbolic deconstruction” which forces people to reject certain traditional symbols, thereby altering national identity.
“The ultimate goal is to manipulate the country’s values and achieve strategic goals without engaging in actual overt military combat,” Zeng added.
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping speaks with all participants in a training session for military academies and principals at the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University in Beijing, China, November 27, 2019. (Li Gang/Xinhua News Agency, via Getty) ) (Xinhua News Agency/Li Gang, via Getty Images)
Strategist quoted in Tackling Chinese disinformation on social media He advocated “subliminal messaging” instead of overt political propaganda, advocating influencing Western youth with a soft touch.
Mr. Schweitzer also quoted Mr. Xu Xian’s “conveying our military’s advanced military culture to the world” and stated:
“As for Western audiences, we need to carefully filter the content of our communications to find more points of resonance and common ground. . . . Become adept at ‘softening’ the content, even in the case of positive propaganda.” is needed. For example, we use stories to tell things, to “translate” points of view into stories, and to hide things within stories. . . An open and emotional approach should be adopted. ”
In their “Analysis of Modern Network Media Warfare from the Perspective of Intelligent Technology,” Chinese Communist Party strategists say that propaganda is most effective when it can be directed at “memorable figures” through entertainment. added.
“The main motive for Gen Z’s content consumption is entertainment,” said Peng Zhen-gang, deputy director of the Publicity Department, in “Study on Gen Z’s international communication strategies and practice paths.” By better understanding the people it is trying to propagate, the Chinese Communist Party can “explore effective communication strategies and avenues. [and] Improve your ability to set the agenda. ”
iStock/Getty Images
Chinese propaganda activists also pointed out that propaganda is more powerful for Western youth when it comes from many sources rather than one source. They likened this phenomenon to “multiple voices singing their own melodies in a communicative choir.” “The key is to simulate a community, a peer group, like on TikTok,” Schweitzer wrote.
“Content management is becoming increasingly important,” analyst Liu Ying wrote in “Polyphony’s International Communication Advantages, Predicaments, and Approaches: New Media,” stating that “content management is becoming increasingly important,” and that “emotional incitement… ‘ has become a problem. . . It can influence public opinion more than facts and truth. ”
Schweitzer found that the Chinese government was actually funding research into “digital propaganda and public opinion manipulation on social media platforms,” and that the study found that “emotional content easily persuades viewers to ‘independently It has been found that it can create the illusion of ‘thoughts’ and ascribe irrational emotions to ‘justice.’ “Resentment” and “empathy” increase the value of delusions. ”
‘What message will that chorus sing?’ Members speak freely about their motivations,” Schweitzer wrote. “Their goal is to “strengthen the Chinese Communist Party’s overseas propaganda and guide the international community to form a correct party.” [view of the Communist Party and of China]” said Vice Minister and Senior Publicity Officer Shen Haixiong.
(Jens Karaene/Getty Images)
TikTok’s addictive nature and constant stream of short, over-the-top videos has become a powerful source of propaganda. One PLA propaganda magazine said, “Young PLA propaganda workers are increasingly aware of the popularity of short videos online, with TikTok being the best example so far.”
The Chinese government’s investigation into online operations further notes that online propaganda is a “highly covert propaganda method” and that “its effects can far exceed traditional propaganda.” The study’s authors claim that such propaganda can even “impact the social stability and political security of the targeted country or region.”
“The evidence is clear: Chinese psychological warfare strategists are targeting Americans, especially young Americans. “There is,” Schweitzer wrote. “The Chinese government is devoting significant resources to understanding how to manipulate young users. The Communist government recently opened an external propaganda office targeting Gen Z audiences overseas.”
“Chinese propaganda actors also see social media tools like TikTok as a means to influence elections in the United States and around the world,” he continues. “One official said that the Chinese government should ‘utilize big data analysis, AI processes, bots, and space lawns to understand the diverse personalities of voters and achieve large-scale public opinion guidance and change.’ It is written as [political] orientation. “‘
But Schweitzer points out that “despite its ties to China’s propaganda machine, TikTok has thrived with the help of U.S. celebrities and thought leaders who are ignorant or ambiguous about TikTok’s true nature.”
The first celebrity to promote TikTok was late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon. blood money.
“There’s a really cool app that I’ve been into lately called TikTok,” Fallon told the millions of Americans watching the show. “Do you all know that?”
“If you don’t have it, download it,” he instructed.
Singer Shakira and host Jimmy Fallon appear on the Tonight Show’s “Watch It Once TikTok Challenge” on May 16, 2022. (Todd Owyoung/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Schweitzer went on to mention other celebrities who have promoted apps aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.
What Fallon didn’t tell viewers was that he partnered with a Chinese company (rather than The Tonight Show itself) to create a series of TikTok “challenges” to drive interest in the app. was. Daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres soon issued similarly glowing comments on her show. Rapper Cardi B paid a hefty fee to post a few videos on TikTok that didn’t make much of an impact, but ended up giving the platform her name. None of these celebrities seem to understand the gravity of being used to encourage Americans to download a potential Chinese spy app. The amount paid to them is unknown.
“Celebrities weren’t alone. Major American institutions have stepped up to work with TikTok. For example, in 2019 the NFL announced a multi-year content partnership with TikTok,” Schweitzer added. “I wonder what kind of conversation took place other than ‘Show me the money!'”
Schweitzer also noted that American politicians were also lining up to use the app. In fact, just this month, President Joe Biden’s campaign launched an account on TikTok to reach younger voters.
Blood Money: Why those in power turn a blind eye while China kills Americans It’s out now, Available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her at @thekat_Hamilton.
