Indeed, the US media has played the role of both sense-maker and sense-giver, framing TikTok as a potential espionage tool. Conversely, the Chinese media portrayed the US actions as an attempt to stifle competition and maintain technological hegemony. In authoritarian regimes, the news media is often part of the state apparatus and propagates the state’s interests. Scholars recommended that MNEs should pay more attention to legitimacy-granting actors beyond governments (Stevens, Xie, & Peng, 2016). For example, during the Tech Cold War, media coverage often framed Chinese tech companies like Huawei as potential threats to national security, creating legitimacy challenges for these firms in Western markets (Li & Sun, 2020; Zhang, Xu, & Robson, 2023).
Associated Data
Even though bias due to geopolitical tension can be identified by a critical assessment of news outlets, we propose a quantitative approach for identification using GDELT. Political pressure is a major source of bias in the media – politicians may, for instance, interfere with the media to secure their power (Papadopoulou & Maniou, 2021). Second, consideration of alternative data sources such as Google Trends that suffer less from direct political interference. If this is the case, political interference in the media biases reporting and consequently leads to impaired conclusions from media analysis. The algorithms of The Truth Seeker alternative news article social media amplify myth faster than any regime could.
In addition, MNEs can use media engagement to build emotional connections with users, customers, and the public, especially when the protectionism and populism in the host country are against the public interest. Contextual adaptation requires MNEs to keep monitoring and tracking local media coverage and public sentiment. The Host–Sub dynamic highlights the need for MNEs to adapt to their host countries’ geopolitical sentiments.
- Even as Iranian influence receded, as the leading Shia power, Iran’s rulers would continue to feel responsible for Shia minorities around the region.
- The Chinese government similarly voiced opposition to the executive orders.
- This kind of obscurant smoke is sometimes referred to as “Visual and Infrared Screening Smoke” (VIRSS).
- As a geopolitical analysis makes clear, TikTok has found itself in the middle of a contest over the value of the digital environment and the US is eager to preserve the economic and strategic advantages it has enjoyed for several decades.
- The expected stories about US race relations were intermingled with a surprisingly heavy focus on US sanctions policy and the humanitarian work of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Their usefulness is illustrated by an analysis of media coverage of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine in 2022. This study introduces GDELT and Google Trends as novel data sources to handle this challenge. The resulting bias distorts the insights scholars gain from media analysis and leads to potentially impaired conclusions. And most of all, it shows that the greatest political risks are not always hidden—they are visible, but rendered invisible through the artful placement of spectacle. If we do not consciously shape the public narrative space, someone—or something—else will.
Here, branding is a well-known example, where businesses establish social media profiles and share relevant content to promote their brand. Communication has been made very easy by social media platforms, and thus, it is no surprise that users apply social media for effective communication. Product review system websites are meant for consumers and companies to access to check the feedback of other users of certain products, whereas social networking sites are the key social media platforms, which are the most popular among users.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
Recent quantitative assessments project significant negative impacts, potentially costing the average US household hundreds or even thousands of dollars annually and reducing overall GDP by estimated figures ranging from 0.5% to over 1%, confirming the regressivity and macroeconomic damage of sweeping tariffs. This is a textbook application of Managed Perception – a deliberate shaping of public understanding – designed to manufacture consent for policies whose operational reality starkly contradicts the rhetoric, and whose motivations often run deeper than mere populism. Framed through populist and nationalist lenses – “protecting American jobs,” “bringing manufacturing back,” “punishing unfair competitors,” “making America strong/great again” – they tap into legitimate economic anxieties while offering a readily identifiable external enemy. Failure risks the consolidation of historically unprecedented power by an Oligarchic Tech Elite (OTE) wielding novel forms of capital and control within a potential Algorithmic Imperium, amplifying existential risks.
Smokescreens, lies and deceptions: the media and the Vietnam War
As we enter 2025, X has shown its potential to become a platform for political discourse, especially for populist far-right movements, and has been accused of propagating misinformation. The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Risks Report identifies misinformation as the most critical challenge to political cohesion and societal trust, particularly due to its ability to fracture democratic institutions, in the next two years. However, this empowerment has come with significant casino1 trade-offs, including the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation, and the reinforcement of ideological echo chambers which contribute to the polarization of society. Their democratizing potential enables grassroots movements and empowers individuals to communicate with large audiences, bypassing traditional gatekeepers.
How TikTok got political. On the basis of its data policies and practices, TikTok poses no greater security threat to its users than do its counterparts. The China Standards 2035 industry policy plan is expected to outline an agenda to enable China to set the technical standards for the future development of advanced technological systems including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and 5G internet (Kharpal, 2020). China is acting on at least two of these policy fronts. To spur innovation, policymakers must think big; at the scale of, for example, high speed rail programmes; national highway projects; or national broadband initiatives (Winseck, 2020).
