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China dictatorship's newest propaganda tool: Foreign YouTubers who speak up for Beijing and reap rewards in money or clicks. Their videos might look casual, but they are part of the Communist Party's efforts to shape the global conversation about Chinahttps://t.co/ZEDxf6mckT
— Alfons López Tena 🦇 (@alfonslopeztena) December 14, 2021
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In the Cold War there were useful idiots. In the internet era, we now have useful influencers. Check out our deep dive into a new crop of social media personalities that get major support from China to boost its image overseas. https://t.co/jo8zEoy0KI
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 14, 2021
So what did we find? State media and local governments pay influencers to take trips around China. They also offer payment for content sharing. The influencers say they are creatively independent. pic.twitter.com/B20TfEzCdv
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 14, 2021
The influencers also give plausible deniability. On YouTube even employees of Beijing-controlled media, like Li Jingjing, are not labeled as state-affiliated media if they set up a personal account. On YouTube her account looks independent, on Twitter she gets a label. pic.twitter.com/IY5UeiFLoT
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 14, 2021
One video by Israeli influencer Raz Gal-Or portraying Xinjiang as "totally normal" was shared by 35 government connected accounts with a total of 400 million followers. Many were Chinese embassy Facebook accounts, which posted about the video in numerous languages. pic.twitter.com/ZbYrDfI4D1
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 14, 2021
This has helped the YouTube videos dominate discussion on platforms like Twitter. Two Yale researchers looked at a sample of 290k tweets that mention Xinjiang in the first half of 2021. Six out of the 10 most shared YouTube videos were from pro-China influencers. pic.twitter.com/j7oicmKkkg
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 14, 2021
A talent contest it ran earlier this year, subtly called the Media Challengers, also sought to surface a new generation of talent. Here's one of the finalists: https://t.co/33gSV6c7R1
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 14, 2021
So what is the ultimate point? Many won't believe the influencers outright. But they do help muddy the waters. A good example comes from a trip to Xinjiang by fledgling influencer Noel Lee. pic.twitter.com/JQyx0hnfyD
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 14, 2021
As former censor Eric Liu told us, it's all about creating doubt in those who don't follow any of this closely: “The goal is not to win, but to cause chaos and suspicion until there is no real truth.”https://t.co/jo8zEoy0KI
— Paul Mozur 孟建國 (@paulmozur) December 14, 2021
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weehingthong 