The foreign-policy institution is speaking, however the U.S. public isn’t listening. Whereas many in Washington have been wringing their palms about the right way to repair this disconnect since 2016, the outcomes aren’t working. Public outreach within the type of slogans like “Overseas coverage for the center class,” op-ed campaigns, and pithy tweets have did not seize public consideration or renew help for U.S. management overseas.
Whereas no single issue explains this, a key problem in the previous couple of years is that the foreign-policy neighborhood makes use of the improper platforms. It stays markedly absent from the place younger People devour data: TikTok.
The foreign-policy institution is speaking, however the U.S. public isn’t listening. Whereas many in Washington have been wringing their palms about the right way to repair this disconnect since 2016, the outcomes aren’t working. Public outreach within the type of slogans like “Overseas coverage for the center class,” op-ed campaigns, and pithy tweets have did not seize public consideration or renew help for U.S. management overseas.
Whereas no single issue explains this, a key problem in the previous couple of years is that the foreign-policy neighborhood makes use of the improper platforms. It stays markedly absent from the place younger People devour data: TikTok.
Regardless of TikTok’s dominance as an data supply—with 43 % of U.S. adults beneath 30 commonly getting information from the app—the foreign-policy institution has barely touched it, citing safety considerations in regards to the Chinese language-owned platform or dismissing it as an unserious venue for choreographed dances. Politicians and domestically centered coverage teams are lively on the platform and perceive its energy, however their foreign-policy counterparts are lacking in motion.
Issues about TikTok are solely respectable, however the foreign-policy neighborhood’s absence from the platform isn’t only a missed alternative; it’s a communications disaster that individuals who care about the US’ world management can not afford to disregard. Current developments additionally point out that TikTok is right here to remain in the US, and avoiding it is going to in the end be untenable.
Guests at TikTok’s stand on the Equipment & Electronics World Expo in Shanghai on April 27, 2023. Costfoto/NurPhoto through Getty Photos
TikTok’s Chinese language possession and opaque knowledge practices pose actual dangers to People’ privateness and susceptibility to international affect. Policymakers are additionally cautious of TikTok’s suggestion algorithm, which decides what thousands and thousands of People see, and might be manipulated to amplify sure narratives. Congress acknowledged this when it handed bipartisan laws requiring the platform to be bought or banned in April 2024.
Nonetheless, the Trump administration has repeatedly delayed enforcement and, in September, the president signed an government order approving a framework for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a U.S.-led consortium. Whereas particulars of that deal stay unclear and safety considerations persist, TikTok has survived its near-death expertise and stays one of the crucial influential platforms in the US.
As we speak, in line with the corporate, 170 million folks in the US are utilizing TikTok. A 3rd of U.S. adults use TikTok; for adults beneath 30, that proportion rises to 59 %. A 2025 Carnegie Endowment for Worldwide Peace examine discovered that 74 % of Gen Z will get foreign-policy information from social media, in contrast with 41 % from on-line journalism and seven % from print newspapers.
Proper-wing influencers have considerably ramped up their foreign-policy content material on the platform. Some are reportedly funded or boosted by curiosity teams or international entities, although the content material creators themselves don’t have any actual background in international coverage. In an episode that includes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Full Ship Podcast host Kyle Forgeard admitted: “We’re so not certified to do that.”
Progressive and nonpartisan influencers additionally focus on international coverage on the platform. Commentary on the Israel-Hamas battle and the humanitarian scenario in Gaza has gained significant traction, with not solely politically inclined creators but additionally journey and meals influencers wading in to supply their views. However whether or not proper, left, or apolitical, the loudest voices are social media personalities, not foreign-policy thinkers with the power to supply knowledgeable commentary.
Sadly, Washington’s foreign-policy neighborhood just isn’t serving to to fill this void. Of the town’s distinguished foreign-policy establishments, solely the Council on Overseas Relations and the Quincy Institute keep lively accounts on TikTok. Against this, virtually each suppose tank and pundit in Washington has a presence on X and/or Bluesky.
Why the disconnect? In addition to safety considerations, and the generational divide, a much bigger problem is that TikTok requires a very totally different fashion of communication. Nonetheless totally different tweeting is from composing a standard foreign-policy op-ed, each are nonetheless a type of written communication. TikTok calls for one thing extra spontaneous and weak: trying right into a digicam and speaking. It’s concise, visible, and private. For analysts used to having extra management over their message, recording a 60-second, off-the-cuff video may really feel uncomfortable. However that discomfort has left a vacuum that others are blissful to fill.
Protesters maintain indicators in help of TikTok outdoors the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 13, 2024. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos
The higher strategy is to simply accept some threat whereas actively working to form a extra balanced data atmosphere. If the coverage neighborhood hopes to counter isolationist or anti-democratic narratives that resonate with Gen Z, it wants a visual, forward-leaning presence on the platform.
As a substitute of avoiding TikTok, organizations and people can take primary precautionary measures to guard their knowledge privateness. Organizations can arrange a separate system and e-mail or cellphone quantity devoted to TikTok; restrict app permissions (like refusing entry to contacts or linked social media accounts); and allow two-factor authentication. These steps shield customers whereas enabling the foreign-policy neighborhood to interact.
In the long run, the nationwide safety neighborhood ought to assist form TikTok’s future moderately than merely opposing its existence. That would embody growing mechanisms for unbiased audits, extra clear knowledge dealing with, and ongoing oversight. The aim ought to be to advertise sensible safeguards that cut back threat with out shutting down a platform utilized by thousands and thousands of People, together with small companies, politicians, and information organizations.
Then, in relation to partaking on TikTok, the foreign-policy neighborhood ought to embrace the problem of bringing a brand new era of People into their dialog. Roundtables and op-eds geared in the direction of an viewers that’s already paying consideration is nice. However getting the broader public to concentrate may also require working with codecs native to TikTok, like brief explainers; commentary on breaking information; myth-busting; duets with viral content material; and collaborations with mainstream influencers.
Crucially, these efforts must be focused a public whose consideration can’t be taken without any consideration. As commentators skilled to speak on TV know, working in a 60-second format requires you to strip out jargon, lead with human affect, and reply the query “Why ought to I care?” throughout the first 5 seconds. As a substitute of speaking about vitality safety, clarify how wars can elevate the worth of heating a house in Pittsburgh. As a substitute of speaking a few “humanitarian disaster,” say “households shedding entry to meals, water, or drugs.” In case your clarification requires a preamble or caveat, you want a distinct strategy.
Lastly, a brand new medium might require new messengers. To have interaction on TikTok, suppose tanks and their comms groups have to be ready to delegate higher authority to youthful employees and analysts who perceive the platform and may translate advanced points into relatable content material. These staffers ought to be empowered to bypass gradual conventional communications channels to make sure well timed, casual content material creation.
For years, the foreign-policy neighborhood has been shedding the eye and confidence of the U.S. public. But as an alternative of seizing a platform with a built-in viewers of 170 million U.S. customers, many proceed debating on podcasts and in newsletters that take years to realize traction and are largely ignored by younger folks.
The most effective arguments and evaluation imply nothing in the event that they by no means attain an viewers. By staying off TikTok, the foreign-policy neighborhood isn’t defending its credibility; it’s surrendering its relevance.
Whether or not you see TikTok as a safety threat or cultural sideshow, it’s already a foreign-policy battleground. If the coverage neighborhood desires to bridge the belief hole with youthful generations, it should shift from avoidance to lively engagement on TikTok.
