[mohbk]

I'd argue this is because social media is ironically enough, manipulated less than traditional mass media.

Despite brigading from any side, anyone can get anything trending on social media, including videos of the aftermath of israeli air strikes, meanwhile nothing but filtered news headlines make it out of editors.

A fun exercise is comparing how big news websites frame headlines when Palestinians die (passive voice) and Ukrainian / israelis are killed.

[DecoySalamander]

It's not any less manipulated - there are just more parties doing psychological operations and not just established players. In the case of TikTok, China gets to pick and choose which operations are free to run, and likely picks the ones that are more destabilizing to the US.

[whatshisface]

Public opinion isn't destabilising in the US, instead it forms the basis of our system of government.