Telegram and TikTok: what is wrong with these platforms and why do we need to be careful when using them?

Russia’s full-scale invasion led to large-scale migration of population from all regions of Ukraine, occupation of certain territories and destruction of civilian infrastructure, while the prohibition of pro-Russian parties and the escape of some politicians abroad completely reshaped the political landscape of Ukraine. And while the prospect of holding elections in Ukraine remains rather slim at the moment, state authorities need to start preparations for the electoral process as early as now so that the people of Ukraine and the international community recognize their legitimacy.

Social networks have become an integral part of life, including politics. People use it to express their opinions, collaborate, organise and protest. Politicians and public officials also use social media to promote activities and communicate with voters. However, social networks are not only a source of information but also a resource for disseminating it. The tools developers and owners provide users can be helpful and influence social groups. Read the article to learn how social networks influence democratic processes.

Changes in media consumption of Ukrainians due to the Russian full-scale invasion affected the approaches of media editorial offices and other content makers to the dissemination of their information. Experts from the media and relevant NGOs discussed this during the discussion "What is becoming the main source of citizens for news updates, politics and security" during the Donbas Media Forum, held in Kyiv on November, 10-11.

We explored 225 Telegram channels including news resources and the channels of official authorities sharing content for the temporarily Russia-controlled parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. We collected the total of 6,984 posts mentioning the coming pseudo elections. Based on the obtained data, we identified topics and narratives of propagandists about the pseudo elections, and estimated the frequency of mentioning political parties. We detected that Russians posted suspiciously similar texts to promote candidates in different regions.

In recent years, Telegram has become one of the main platforms for the spread of Russian propaganda and disinformation – primarily due to the lack of censorship and weak content moderation. Although this service is popular mainly in Ukraine and the Russian Federation, it is also used in other countries. However, pro-Russian channels that broadcast narratives favorable to the Kremlin are waiting for foreigners in Telegram. Civil Network OPORA investigated pro-Russian Telegram channels that work for the Western audience and the connections between them.

Messaging service Telegram’s marketing strategy is to present itself as a platform for total freedom of speech in response to the moderation policies of other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Telegram professes to consider content moderation as a philosophical question of ethics and morale, as if any interference has the exclusive function of “disciplining” users. However, this philosophical issue has quite tangible consequences in practice. For example, the findings of an independent impact assessment of Facebook on human rights in Myanmar showed(opens in a new tab) that under-moderation of content in Myanmar language contributed(opens in a new tab) to the act of genocide against the Rohingya Muslims.

However, the opponents of Ukraine are not interested in any explanations. The notorious Fox News journalist Tucker Carlson, referring to the mentioned interviews of Zelensky, concluded that the "main defender of democracy in the world" decided to "abolish democracy in Ukraine." Carlson's disinformation narrative about the “Zelensky dictatorship” and “cancellation of elections” was quickly picked up by other American figures, including US House of Representatives member Marjorie Taylor Green and a journalist Glen Greenwald. Civil Network OPORA investigated who else had joined the discreditation campaign in the American segment of Twitter and Facebook, and what key disinformation narratives about the Ukrainian elections are spreading in these social networks.

Last year in the third month of Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine,  Civil Network OPORA decided to carry out a survey of Ukrainian media space.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to radical changes in the lives of Ukrainians. Some people took up arms and heroically defend our Motherland on the frontline, others joined the volunteer movement and provide the army with everything necessary. Some entrepreneurs are developing their business to support the long-suffering Ukrainian economy even in war-time. Living conditions have changed a lot in Ukraine: some people lost their property due to Russian shelling of peaceful cities, others lost their jobs, health, security, and the opportunity to provide their children with a good education. Some Ukrainians have spent their entire lives in the occupied territories.