The hashtag #беларусь on TikTok is one of the most frequently used. This is confirmed by the growing number of videos using it. The research aimed to determine how much disinformation can be found with this hashtag.
Which toxic channels use it, what content has the most views, and how many channels use it?
The publication is based on a dataset collected from March 1 to June 14, 2024. The dataset included over 45,000 posts. The number of accounts in the closed listing that used this hashtag was 3,923.
General Information on the Use of the Studied Hashtag
Growth in the number of posts using the hashtag and views over the past 90 days:
Estimated number of views from different countries:
Videos that gathered the most views during this period:
As we can see, the videos with the most views are primarily entertainment content.
TikTok Media Consumption in Belarus
Based on the media consumption study of the Belarusian internet audience conducted in September-October 2023 by the Digital Skills Coalition and the Belarusian National Platform, TikTok is the most popular social network among the Belarusian internet audience in the country:
There is a slight difference in TikTok media consumption in Belarus between male and female audiences: women – 46.3%, men – 50.4%. It is also worth noting that Instagram remains the most popular network for obtaining news and other information among the female internet audience in the country.
TikTok usage distribution by age shows a significant difference:
- 18-24 years old – 60%
- 25-34 years old – 57.8%
- 35-44 years old – 42%
- 45-54 years old – 30.7%
- Over 54 years old – 23.2%
Thus, there is a clear correlation between the use of TikTok as a source of news and other information and age.
It is important to analyze trust in news sources:
As seen from the graph, TikTok users have the most trust in YouTube and social networks, compared to all Belarusian respondents in the country. It is noteworthy that 26% of the national sample do not trust any sources of information or find it difficult to answer.
Given the trust in YouTube among the Belarusian TikTok audience, it is important to compare what content is most popular on the video hosting platform among all Belarusian internet users:
A simple analysis shows that Belarusian TikTok users prefer to watch movies, series, comedies, music, and talk shows compared to all respondents in the country.
Additionally, let’s take from the media consumption study the answers to the question “Based on your experience, where do you most often encounter fake/false news?”
It is clear that TikTok users are more likely to expect encountering fake/false news on social networks than all Belarusian respondents in the country. Surprisingly, they do not expect to encounter fakes on television and in the print press.
Use of Hashtag #Беларусь
Daily distribution of all channels by the number of videos with the hashtag and the number of views:
The most videos with #беларусь were posted on May 9 – 674 posts, and the highest number of views was on March 2, 2024, with over 38 million.
From March 1 to June 14, 2024, the hashtag #беларусь was used 45,140 times.
A total of 100 accounts that gathered 60.7% of the total views of 1,602,094,253 were categorized:
- Disinformation channels – 6. Number of views – 61,970,725;
- Belarusian state media and accounts spreading pro-government agenda – 22. Number of views – 223,859,649;
- Actors with a positive socio-political agenda – 23. Number of views – 300,082,641;
- Neutral channels – 49.
Fifty TikTok accounts sorted by the number of views of videos with the hashtag #беларусь from March 1 to June 14, 2024:
The number of views of videos with the hashtag #беларусь among the top 100 channels shows a parity between actors with a positive agenda and disinformation/pro-government ones.
The channel with the most views during the study period: @first_news_ with 53,775,901 views from 475 posts. The channel has only 44% of its 155 thousand followers from Belarus.
Interestingly, of the 45,140 posts with the hashtag #беларусь, 5,089 posts also had the hashtag #лукашенко.
Conclusions:
The amount of disinformation in TikTok is substantial, impacting the information landscape for the Belarusian internet audience. Since TikTok’s audience in Belarus is relatively young, misleading and false information poses a significant threat to the country’s information security.
Data from social media monitoring platforms are confirmed by quantitative research on media trust and where Belarusian internet users encounter fake/false news.
Belarusian state media are increasingly present on TikTok, with the ability to produce videos freely within the country and cover all public events. Pro-government content creators have fixed salaries and a regular work schedule with social benefits.
Based on media consumption data, it is possible to predict which content might be effective for actors with a positive agenda.
To combat disinformation, there needs to be more content that debunks false information and educates the Belarusian TikTok audience.
