Beyond challenges and viral dance moves: TikTok as a vehicle for disinformation and fact-checking in Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and the USA

Abstract

This paper analyses the narrative of disinformation disseminated through the social network TikTok, a network which is popular at a global level and whose users are mainly young or very young. To do so, a study was carried out on the content of publications on TikTok in four countries with different idiosyncrasies and national realities: Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and the United States. Interviews were also conducted with fact-checking agencies on the potential for misinformation and fact-checking potential on this social network. The results suggest that due to its characteristics as a fresh, visual network with easily shareable and viral content, TikTok is a network that facilitates the spread of disinformation, but which in turn is a tool for debunking hoaxes beyond the range of action of conventional media.

Keywords

• disinformation
• TikTok
• fake news
• fact-checking