Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, cilt.16, sa.4, ss.1169-1185, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)
Public diplomacy refers to the methods and tools states and non-state entities use to comprehend cultures, attitudes, and conduct; establish and oversee connections; and influence opinions and behaviors to promote their interests. Each country has its public diplomacy strategy. China, which stands out as a global power, is among the countries that attach importance to public diplomacy. China, which has been identified with the concept of sharp power, also faces accusations from US politicians. Recently, claims from the United States that China-based social media platform TikTok has been carrying out sharp power activities have come to the fore. TikTok is considered to be a major tool for China as it has over one billion active users around the world. However, there are debates as to whether China manipulates the public of other countries through this practice. Censorship and manipulation, the two main concepts of sharp power, are used in TikTok or does TikTok exist independently? This article aims to explore whether the TikTok platform, one of China's important public diplomacy tools, is perceived as a threat by American politicians. For this purpose, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s US Congress testimony was analyzed by content analysis method. As a result, it has been confirmed that American politicians perceive TikTok as a sharp power instrument of the Chinese Communist Party. It has been observed that concerns have been expressed about the concepts of censorship, manipulation, propaganda, control, and influence, which are the five elements of sharp power. It has been found that the TikTok platform is perceived as a propaganda device, a psychological warfare weapon, and not a public diplomacy tool or soft power element.