state-affiliated_media_label
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'State-affiliated media' label
A 'state-affiliated media' label, also called a 'state-controlled media' label or 'state-funded media' label, is a tool which allows websites to publicly denote sources on the platform as state media. This trend had began on YouTube in 2018,1) then spread in 2020.2)3)
Background information
In the wake of Facebook's Cambridge Analytica data scandal boosting conservative-aligned campaigns, most of the tech industry was scrutinized for the internet's influence on politics, despite it being inherently political by design.4) Regardless, politicians were quick to escalate this as a “national security” issue, blaming their real-world political shortcomings on allegations of foreign electoral interference.
As a response, YouTube added state-funded media labels in 2018, which were so incredibly thorough that even Radio Free Asia had a label.5) However, the same can't be said for companies that allow national security consultants to suggest copying it, but selectively enforce it on countries deemed antagonistic to the United States (e.g. China, Russia, Iran)6)7)8) which exposes their inherent bias.
Criticism and other issues
On the surface, the labels allow people to recognize whether a post is made by state-affiliated media, allows people to scrutinize others for interacting with said media, and allows the state to protect its own interests. However, the label feels hand-holdy, digital confrontations are tiresome, and it feels rather counterintuitive to let the state publicly label sources as, what some would say, a thoughtcrime or wrongthink.
Furthermore, there's a reverse psychology effect where the label encourages people to engage with said content when they normally would not, regardless of whether the source personally aligns with their views. Think of it like a giant red “do not push” button, you're going to have people become more inclined to engage with the other side, that they know of, in order to obtain a different perspective.9)
In the case of Facebook, who spins these labels as a positive change,10)11) you do have to consider that its real name policy essentially throws their users into an hostage situation where they are encouraged to conform (i.e. groupthink) or risk ostracization (i.e. cancel culture), both of which only further political polarization. In a way, this all has become a very discrete form of psychological warfare.
List of notable services that use the label
- Instagram - since October 5th, 2020.15)
See also
1)
, 5)
, 12)
"Greater transparency for users around news broadcasters" (February 2, 2018). YouTube Blog.
4)
The tech industry has arguably been reactionary since its inception, relying on funding from the military and financial institutions to uphold the bourgeois status quo, then you had petite bourgeois hobbyists transforming the scene into a half-status quo, half-libertarian hybrid. This is how you end up with nerds that preach about a technocratic utopia, preaching about cryptocurrency and “apolitical” AI solutions.
6)
, 10)
"Facebook’s ‘state-controlled media’ labels appear to reduce engagement" (August 23, 2023). Engadget.
7)
, 11)
"Meta says Chinese, Russian influence operations are among the biggest it's taken down" (August 29, 2023). NPR.
8)
"Russia, China, Iran state media see boost on X after removal of ‘state-affiliated’ labels" (September 26, 2023). The Hill.
9)
A bit of advice: don't actually do this with Russian media. Their media tends to be intentionally confusing, contradictory, and syncretic as a means to instill apathy into its readers, unless you want to open yourself up to syncretic ideas like Eurasianism, National Bolshevism, MAGA Communism, etc.
15)
"Instagram starts labeling ‘state-controlled media’ accounts and posts" (October 5, 2020). Engadget.
16)
"TikTok's state-affiliated media policy" (January 18, 2023). TikTok Newsroom.
state-affiliated_media_label.txt · Last modified: 2024-07-29 23:12:16 by namelessrumia