Languages of Misinformation
TikTok Videos Spread Misinformation to New Migrant Community in New York City
Misinformation on TikTok influenced these Senegalese migrants to come to the United States. Now they are being fed even more misleading information about navigating their new home
By Malick Gai
September 26, 2024 07:00 ET
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This article is copublished with Documented, a multilingual news site about immigrants in New York, and The Guardian US, which covers American and international news for an online, global audience.
One video told viewers that new migrants easily get work permits and good jobs in the United States. Another warned viewers, once they are in the U.S., not to change their postal address or transfer their asylum case if they move to another state. Another instructed them to re-apply for asylum if they do not receive an acknowledgment letter within a few months.
Documented reviewed hundreds of videos like these. Some aimed to inform, advise or persuade viewers and appeared to be well-meaning. Many featured migrants sharing their first-hand experiences of the asylum process to encourage others in their position, and some filmed candidly in supermarkets, on park benches, or in their cars.
https://themarkup.org/languages-of-misinformation/2024/09/26/tiktok-videos-spread-misinformation-to-new-migrant-community-in-new-york-city
