New trends in digital diplomacy: The rise of TikTok and the geopolitics of algorithmic governance

TikTok’s viral short-video app has seen tremendous global growth, but its adoption in foreign policy and digital diplomacy is still low. Some diplomatic actors have refrained from developing a presence on TikTok due to geopolitical concerns emerging from TikTok’s Chinese ownership. Other diplomatic actors have established a presence on the platform due to its ability to make content with high engagements, reaching a young audience. The chapter observed three principal objectives when employing TikTok for digital diplomacy: 1) educating young audiences and raising awareness about current issues, including Covid-19 and the War in Ukraine; 2) countering misinformation and disinformation; 3) putting vulnerable communities at the forefront and empowering young people. The chapter also focuses on TikTok as a case where the international geopolitics of algorithmic governance has grown salient in the public debate, hoping to serve as a first step towards a theoretical conversation in digital diplomacy on the matter. This new interest concerns a deeper level of influence over public political debates, from an interest in actor’s participation in digital conversations to an understanding of how influence can be asserted through the algorithmic structures determining the possible scope of and promoted voices in such conversation.