Level Up: How Politicians And Parties Can (Not) Campaign Among Ukrainians Abroad

Whenever you have an hour to kill or procrastinate, watch educational videos or get your daily dose of cringe, you’re likely to go to TikTok, which will be happy to recommend funny videos with cats, dogs, clumsy kids, and much more. TikTok will do everything to make you perceive it as a social network where happiness, laughter, goodness, and other positive emotions reign supreme.

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.

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.

In the end of March, 2022, OPORA published an investigation "The Clutches of Russian Fraudsters or Where the Compassion for the Killed Ukrainian Heroes Can Take You " on the activities of a large-scale network of pages that were growing their audience through the manipulative clickbait content, specifically abusing the information about the KIA Ukrainian soldiers.

On March 24, 2023, the executive director of the TikTok platform testified before the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce about the social network's safety for American society and national security. Now, the US Congress must decide whether to ban the Chinese social network used by about 150 million Americans. Svidomi and OPORA figure out whether TikTok is safe, whether its owner company, ByteDance, really works for the Beijing government, and whether it could use the data of American u...