Last week I wrote a post about Russia (and Ukraine's) use of misinformation during the Ukraine War. But can a country use social media in a way to say, divide the populace before war? That's what China is doing (or is trying to do) in Taiwan. As Geopolitical Monitor reports, China's Strategic Support Force Network System's Department is sending up to 2,400 pieces of disinformation daily to the island. The goal of all this is to try and undermine public confidence in President Tsai. After seeing how President Zelensky became a rallying figure for the people of Ukraine during the conflict China wants to make sure that doesn't happen with President Tsai. The most egregious example of Chinese misinformation is a post traceable back to the PRC in 2017 where it was claimed that President Tsai desired to ban the burning of "ghost money," incense, and setting off firecrackers. This caused 10,000 Buddhists and Taoists to march in protest in the capital. The strategy, so far, appears to be working, with the approval rating of President Tsai dropping a whopping of 20 points from 70% to 50%. However, other likely explanations can also contender to explain the drop--such as President Tsai reducing military conscription lengths and her poor handling of COVID-19. Whether or not such highly sophisticated propaganda used to soften targets before war will become a common staple after the Ukraine War (or Taiwan War), further deepening the blurring of reality that we are already seeing remains to be seen. Either way, its always worth it to take an extra look at that social media post that you are oh-so willing to share with all your friends and family (as they want you to do).
- Stay Tuned
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