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You really think someone would do that? Just go on the internet and tell lies? Lisa, Social Planner, has the lowdown about the spread of lies and misinformation on TikTok.

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes” 

This quote has been attributed to Mark Twain, Winston Churchill and Thomas Jefferson. Did any of them really say that? It’s unlikely, thus proving the point of the quote. 

In the modern age, lies can fly around the world at the click of a button. With social media, anyone can share opinions and information about topics such as politics, health and vaccines with a high level of confidence and a low-level of data standing behind their statement. 

Retrospectively, Facebook and Twitter have been seen as a confluence for these communities. But we’re starting to see a new platform sneak up from behind the curtains to take the prize in misinformation communities. It’s – you guessed it – TikTok. TikTok is crawling with “information” around a whole host of subjects – yes, there’s also lip-syncing, dancing and make-up tutorials… but if you fall down a rabbit hole, the algorithm will make sure you’re fed more lies than you ever thought existed. As social media continues to be the dominant source of news for the younger generations (with their userbase of over 1 billion people, 50% of whom are under 30 years old) this can become quite harmful. 

In a study by NewsGuard, it’s been suggested that even without following any related accounts, you will still come across some of these videos shortly after creating your account by casually scrolling through your “For You” page. NewsGuard’s analysis of screen recordings taken by participants shows that in the first 35 minutes on TikTok, all but one (88.89% of participants) were shown misinformation related to COVID-19, while two-thirds (66.67% of participants) were shown misinformation specific to COVID-19 vaccines.

When creating a new account and doing nothing but scroll on the app’s algorithmically curated “For You” page, it was found  that users would be funnelled towards false or misleading content about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine within 40 minutes.

“Toward the end of the 45–minute experiment, analysts’ feeds were almost exclusively populated with both accurate and false content related to the war in Ukraine – with no distinction made between disinformation and reliable sources,” the research team wrote.

So, how does it start? It’s quite easy really – most lies are born in some sort of truth, taken out of context, and then dramatised. The lie takes on a new life and flies to impressionable peoples’ screens and might even confirm suspicions they already had. 

A distinct example is when musician Justin Bieber posted a video, explaining that he was forced to cancel shows, due to contracting a virus, leaving him with half his face paralysed. Tragic as it may be, the story took a turn when the anti-vax community got a sniff of it and changed the narrative to fit their worries about the COVID-19 vaccines. A huge number of TikToks appeared stating that it’s obvious that this condition is a symptom of the COVID-19 vaccine and that we all need to open our eyes to the truth. That community’s “truth” has been debunked by masses of medical professionals, scientists and paralysis doctors, so there’s no imminent sign that this would’ve been the case – especially since there’s no public knowledge about whether he’s even been vaccinated or not (… talk about conclusion jumping). 

We see doctors making TikToks to calm these inflammatory statements and explain what is actually happening to Bieber and why… but some might say it’s already too late, the lie is out there circulating and people are believing it. 

The effects of these lies may seem obvious, such as not getting the vaccine and putting your own and others’ health at risk, but it’s possible that it could have wider impacts as well. An article by Cambridge University  suggests that conspiracy theories have consequences for people’s political intentions. One study found that people who subscribe to conspiracy theories are less likely to vote in elections or engage in politics altogether. These people are also more likely to have antisemitic, racist and prejudiced views, and be climate change and science deniers. 

In addition, recent research by Northumbria University has shown that a belief in conspiracy theories is heightened as adolescents reach 14 years of age, which also makes the young audiences of TikTok great targets. Needless to say, this combination could prove to be catastrophic. 

With that said, there may also be potential positives as a result of people believing in conspiracies. One example, scientists say, is that you may find a sense of community – and boy-oh-boy is that true for social media networks. We can see hundreds of comments discussing Justin Bieber’s health issues agreeing that it’s due to the COVID-19 vaccine. This is one of a few positives we can see, but scholars agree that the negatives far outweigh the positives. 

Conspiracy theories have been around for as long as mankind – where they were once stories about trolls and elves told around the fireside, they are now spreading misinformation around the world by pushing a button on your phone. With the new environment of social media, we can all fall down a rabbit hole… but it’s not all doom and gloom. TikTok is taking precautions to change this, encouraging users to report any misinformation they see. We also see more and more accounts from doctors and scientists debunking theories in the entertaining formats that work so well on the platform. It does, however, remain concerning that no matter who you follow, TikTok users are very likely to stumble upon conspiracy theories and videos featuring “fake news.”

Even though we’ll likely never be rid of conspiracies fully, I think we can all agree that the algorithms of TikTok, as they are currently, are not part of the solution.