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TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms and a favorite among young audiences, who like to share their lives through short videos. The app was able to beat every other platform on the internet to become the most downloaded app in 2021.
But recently, the app has been heavily scrutinized for negatively influencing its users, especially minors. It also came under fire for various security and safety issues.
However, an article by The Washington Post has reported that Facebook's parent company, Meta, has been working with various news outlets to bring added negative press to the platform.
Targeted Victory used op-eds and other media platforms to cast doubt about TikTok's effect on young minds
The article claimed that Meta hired one of the biggest consulting firms in the US, Targeted Victory, to assist their hidden campaign against TikTok. The group has supposedly propagated negative views about the app in the country, both online and through other media, in an attempt to prove that the Beijing-based platform is a danger to American children and society.
The firm utilized op-eds and letters to the editors of major regional news outlets to share and promote false claims, as well as report trends that actually originated on Facebook. They also sought help from politicians and political reporters who aligned with their viewpoints.
The Post claimed to have acquired an email from February, which reportedly had the following comment made by a Targeted Victory director:
“(We need to) get the message out that while Meta is the current punching bag, TikTok is the real threat, especially as a foreign-owned app that is #1 in sharing data that young teens are using.”
The publication also claimed to possess numerous emails from the law firm discussing the campaign against the short video platform. Targeted Victory allegedly sought assistance from various local reporters to serve as a "backchannel" for anti-TikTok news, pushing stories and articles villainizing the app with "examples of bad TikTok trends," and proving them harmful to children and teens. A suggestion made in the acquired email said:
“Dream would be to get stories with headlines like, "From dances to danger: how TikTok has become the most harmful social media space for kids."
Reportedly, a list of harmful trends was given to the firm's agents, who were asked to secretly promote the trends in their district or neighborhood. The goal here was to report the said trends once they got popular, putting pressure on lawmakers in the area.
The activity was planned to bring negative attention to the Beijing-based app.
One of the trends mentioned in the list that brought a lot of criticism to the app was "the devious lick," a trend that dictated students steal school property and show it off in their videos.
The trend was reportedly promoted by the firm through local media across Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. This resulted in Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) writing a letter calling for TikTok executives to testify in front of a Senate subcommittee. He believed that the app was being:
“Repeatedly misused and abused to promote behavior and actions that encourage harmful and destructive acts.”
However, in an investigation by Gimlet's Anna Foley, it was later found that the trend had originally surfaced on Facebook.
Another trend spread by the firm in Hawaii was the "slap a teacher challenge," but there was no related material on TikTok.
The firm is accused of mixing fabricated information, along with reasonable concerns, to malign the reputation of the Chinese app. Many questionable trends and challenges have undoubtedly gone viral on TikTok, becoming a topic of concern for families and authorities.
The law firm allegedly used these instances to contact multiple public relations offices in the US for further assistance in their goals to slander TikTok.
According to the article, on March 12, the firm helped run a story by a "concerned new parent" expressing their views on the harmful effects of the app on children's minds. The parent also expressed their doubts about the Chinese government collecting behavioral data on American children.
The law firm also ran pro-Facebook campaigns through op-eds and letters to editors. The agency had its agents send letters and opinion pieces praising Facebook across various lines, glorifying the work done by the platform in areas like promoting black-owned businesses.
None of these op-eds or letters, whether anti-TikTok or pro-Facebook, ever mentioned or indicated their link to Targeted Victory or Meta.
Counter arguments made against the accusations by Targeted Victory CEO Zac Moffattover
According to The Washington Post, the firm had previously denied providing any comment on the allegations. However, the company's CEO Zac Moffatt posted a thread on Twitter explaining their side of the story.
In a thread of seven tweets, Moffatt exclaimed that The Washington Post had "mischaracterized" their work and made false claims. He also said that his firm tried to get in touch with the news portal but didn't receive any answer.
The news piece is heavily based on political alignment, but Moffatt revealed that they manage teams bipartisanly and on common grounds.
He also said that many news portals, including The Washington Post, had already covered the aforementioned news before they decided to refurbish it.
While Zuckerberg and Meta haven't made any official comment on the situation, the company's spokesperson Andy Stone acknowledged the campaign in The Washington Post article:
“We believe all platforms, including TikTok, should face a level of scrutiny consistent with their growing success.”
Facebook has lost users for the first time in its 18-year history
Facebook has seen a decline in young users, especially pre-teens and teens who spend “2-3X more time” on TikTok. Meta announced in February 2022, that the company had lost users for the first time in 18 years of business. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's chief executive, informed investors that the Chinese short-video app was a major competitor for the company. He said:
“People have a lot of choices for how they want to spend their time, and apps like TikTok are growing very quickly.”
To counter the app, Meta introduced the "reel" feature on both Facebook and Instagram, which makes short video clips very similar to TikTok, and the platform extensively promotes it.
Zuckerberg openly criticized the app in 2019, questing its ban on topics that are regarded as problematic by the Chinese government. He hailed Facebook as a platform for free speech. However, those guidelines were altered soon afterwards, and the app is now operated under different rules compared to its Chinese counterpart.
