Analyzing TikTok’s Role in Mobilizing Dynamics for Information Campaigns during Taiwan’s 2024 Elections

Abstract

This research investigates and identifies the key mobilizing characteristics in contemporary online information campaigns using novel multi-method socio-computational techniques. Utilizing social theories and network science to study social process, we leveraged Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory to extract key mobilization elements at different stages (initialization, amplification, sustainment) of mobilization process from social network (TikTok). We identify and analyze mobilization characteristics of disinformation and anti-disinformation campaigns during Taiwan’s 2024 presidential elections. Our investigation delves into dataset comprising 343 TikTok videos, 46,551 comments, 2,955 co-commenter nodes, and their 25,830 edges. Findings reveal that campaigns’ successes hinge on audience engagement rather than rapid initiation or content volume. Notably, the network cohesion and topical stance of anti-disinformation co-commenters during the amplification stage played a crucial role in countering disinformation. This comparative analysis highlights the significance of understanding the mobilization process for a comprehensive view of online information campaigns.