A 23-second clip can radically reimagine history. In the background of an old recording, a slowed remix of a sad Japanese song plays as dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., in tears, denies stealing public funds. This video garnered thousands of likes and comments expressing sympathies on TikTok.
Using relatable songs and influencers’ trendy gimmicks, short TikTok videos lure primarily the younger audience to a perverted fantasy of the Marcoses. To this end, the family has spent P351 million to hire influencers across platforms to further advertise them, a 2023 study from Internews revealed. Most of these pro-Marcos influencers are on TikTok, exploiting the platform’s rapidly expanding reach among others. Currently, 21 percent of respondents in the Philippines access TikTok for news compared to only 2 percent in 2020, per a 2023 Reuters report.
TikTok locks its users in an echo chamber by gradually feeding them a barrage of short content. TikTok’s claim to combat disinformation through artificial intelligence and moderators remains insufficient against a twofold problem: As the platform entirely comprises videos, devoid of written content, systematically sifting through it to detect lies becomes harder. Its highly personalized algorithm also makes it tougher for credible news sources to penetrate it.
Clamping down on rebranding efforts is more challenging as the covert pacification of the Marcoses’ image does not always explicitly contain disinformation that can be flagged. Further, the most-watched TikTok Marcoses-related videos are those that spotlight their familial bonds. These inculcate a foundation of distrust in the lived experiences of the dictatorship’s victims.
These covert operations set the stage for easier acceptance of the outright disinformation of social media influencers like Jam Magno, ensnaring people further in their echo chambers. The combination of covert and overt operations on a platform promoting fast-paced, mindless consumption makes TikTok a crucial battleground for truth, especially among the youth.
It is also this fast-paced nature that must be leveraged by advocates through the adoption of personalized content to counter disinformation. TikTok’s regulative mechanisms must aid citizens’ initiatives by expanding the content it flags, encompassing the Marcoses’ seemingly innocuous rebranding clips that serve as the cornerstone of distortive narratives. ●
