Impact of Chinese media and propaganda in Taiwan - Media Influence and its Effect on public opinions.

The relationship between Taiwan and Mainland China has long been tense. Although there is peace for now, the situation remains fragile. For China, direct interference may be difficult, but with the rise of media accessibility and the internet, it has become a new ideal location for misinformation and propaganda to be spread. Often also through soft power and financial influence.

In countries like Taiwan, the generation divide between the young/old is obvious. The elderly mostly favor pro-china policies, contrary, the younger generation favors pro-independence. This divide is often reflected in protests, where people from different age groups openly express their contrasting political beliefs, primarily thanks to the freedom of speech in Taiwan.

Taiwan's media landscape is known for being diverse, vibrant, and highly competitive. However, due to the private ownership of these news broadcasting platforms/companies, spreading propaganda is now being promoted through investments and financial benefits. Though news is meant to spread important information and news, some have been accused of pushing pro-China narratives. These pro-China media outlets frequently concentrate on broadcasting stories that emphasize the possible economic advantages of unification or downplay the danger that Beijing's military or political actions could bring.

The effects are often magnified due to the older generation being a large part of the viewership population for political TV shows, affecting a huge percentage of voters with possibly biased information.

Though the Taiwanese legislature has efforts such as the Anti-Infiltration Act in 2019, which was designed to limit Chinese influence in Taiwanese domestic politics. China has still used disinformation campaigns, often as a tool to influence the voter’s opinions. Mentioned previously through methods such as fake news, misleading information, and rumors designed to benefit certain political parties/figures. Take ex-president Tsai Ing-Wen as an example, multiple reports of Chinese-backed information were published to damage the credibility and image of hers, due to her pro-independence background; it’s also used to boost her opponent, who’s more pro-china in comparison.

As of 2024, misleading information has now gone further than just fake news stories from social media, and swaying public opinion through investments of private broadcasting channels. It’s now gone to the use of artificial intelligence, with technologies such as deep-fake.

With the popularity and accessibility of social media being at an all time high, AI has since played a major role in China's media influence towards Taiwan. AI is capable of handling enormous volumes of data, material can be customized for Taiwan's many demographic groupings. Older voters may witness storylines that reference common historical and cultural links, while younger voters may be exposed to information emphasizing cross-strait economic cooperation.

Another concerning & alarming aspect of AI is the use of deep fakes, which are AI generated videos or images that appear real but are entirely fabricated. Deepfake, though an fascinating creation, can and is often used to manipulate the public by creating fake speeches or actions by political figures. Deep Fakes are especially dangerous in Taiwan during election seasons, when a single edited video has the power to sway voters or cast doubt on a candidate's policy. With the growth of this technology, it has become more and more difficult to fact-check the content we view.

China possesses a huge wide-ranging impact on Taiwan's political and electoral processes; they include media bias, hidden financial support, and disinformation campaigns on social media. The strategies aim to sway voters into more pro-china candidates, ultimately influencing the trajectory of Taiwan. The resilience of Taiwan’s democratic institutions and the growing awareness among the public about these tactics imply that although China’s influence is great, it is not unbreakable.