If there's one social network that has earned a bad reputation, it's Facebook. Scandals related to privacy and the use of user data have been numerous in recent years. And the same goes for its competitors, because we now know they maneuvered to sink their biggest rival, TikTok.
A stream of anti-TikTok opinion
The Chinese social network has quickly become the market trend among young people. While Instagram previously held the lead with this younger demographic, Mark Zuckerberg's company is now seeing its performance decline against TikTok, which offers a fresher and more accessible platform, appealing not only to younger users but also to many others who perceive Facebook as too static and outdated for virtual social interaction. What we've learned now is quite serious: according to The Washington Post , Meta is allegedly funding smear campaigns against TikTok.
It appears that one of the largest Republican consulting firms in the United States is behind these campaigns against the Chinese social network . The goal would be to gradually create a current of opinion against TikTok, allowing Meta to win back some of the young audience it has lost in recent years. This campaign against the social network is reportedly based on the publication of opinion pieces and letters to the editor in the most relevant regional media outlets. And curiously, they are using alleged trending stories against TikTok that were actually created by Facebook.
Let's say that practices that have been commonplace in the political arena for years, such as disinformation campaigns targeting certain groups, are now being used to discredit the Chinese social network. This undoubtedly demonstrates that Facebook is serious about winning back the young audience that represents the future, and to achieve this, it intends to use every weapon at its disposal, even the most questionable ones.
smear from below
According to these sources, the company Targeted Victory is behind this online smear campaign against TikTok. The Washington Post has obtained emails that demonstrate that all the discrediting maneuvers this company is carrying out aim to portray Chinese people as a danger to children, minors, and American society as a whole . The strategy is to show the public that, while Facebook isn't exactly a shining example in many areas, what's coming with TikTok is even worse, and that it's the real threat to society.
Reports indicate that Facebook's popularity among young people has plummeted, with them spending two to three times more time on TikTok than on the social network created by Mark Zuckerberg. But the objective of this campaign, disguised as Targeted Victory's own actions, is to turn public opinion against them from the ground up. So much so that, in intercepted emails, members of this organization are seen surveying local media outlets for ideas they can use to damage TikTok's reputation and amplify the perception that its use is harmful to young people.
It seems Meta isn't taking kindly to being overtaken by TikTok and is now investing heavily in manipulating public opinion, not only among young people but also among older segments of the population. And all this while brandishing the specter of potential Chinese government control over the social network's data. What if we remember Cambridge Analytica?