State-sponsored influencer
A state-sponsored influencer or government influencer is a social media influencer who is paid or sponsored by a national government. In some cases, influencers are enlisted by governments or state media outlets to produce content targeting foreigners, often for public diplomacy or political propaganda purposes.[1] In others, influencers are contracted to disseminate public interest communications such as public health policies or financial education.[2]
China
[edit]China has commonly used state-sponsored influencers to spread government narratives on social media such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Influencers commonly promote Chinese government talking points about international affairs and human rights abuses, and highlight positive aspects of Chinese culture or lifestyle.[1][3]
State media
[edit]Many reporters of Chinese state media such as China Global Television Network (CGTN), China Radio International (CRI) or Xinhua News Agency run social media accounts presenting as influencers or bloggers without disclosing their affiliation.[1] Influencers recruited by state media typically either have a background in journalism or are graduates from Chinese foreign language schools.[4] A 2023 report by Microsoft found over 230 state media employees or affiliates acting as influencers on Western social media platforms, producing content in 30 languages. The combined following of state-affiliated influencers reached 103 million.[4] Some of these accounts have been labeled as state-controlled media on Facebook.[1]
According to the Wilson Center, China Media Group, which comprises CGTN and CRI, first attempted to position its reporters as influencers in 2020, testing the concept in Africa and Southeast Asia before expanding to other parts of the world.[5] State media influencers are typically bilingual and often begin their social media presence by posting entertainment content about everyday life and cultural topics, then move to more political content once better established.[5][6] Often, influencers are women and post photos and videos of China which promote it as an idyllic travel destination.[1]
Use of ethnic minorities
[edit]Ethnic minority influencers from regions such as Xinjiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia have been used by the Chinese government to whitewash human rights abuses taking place there.[7] The Australian Strategic Policy Institute described them as "frontier influencers".[8] Such influencers, often young and female, are carefully politically vetted. Their content is overseen by special agencies called multi-channel networks (MCNs), which allows them to post on Western platforms like YouTube that are blocked in China.[8]
Use of foreigners
[edit]China has paid or sponsored influencers from foreign nations to travel to the country and produce positive content about it.[9][10][11] Influencers are allowed to visit areas of China where authorities typically do not allow foreign journalists, and many have lived in China for years. Their content has been promoted by Chinese diplomats and representatives, including at news conferences.[9] According to the Global Taiwan Institute, China has attempted to recruit Taiwanese influencers and celebrities as part of this effort.[12]
In 2021, CGTN launched a competition for English speakers where the winners would get jobs as influencers.[1] In 2025, state media outlet China Youth Daily offered five influencers with over 300,000 followers a free trip to China.[13]
Israel
[edit]In 2025, it was reported that Israel was paying influencers in the United States as part of the so-called Esther Project.[14]
Russia
[edit]State media
[edit]In March 2025, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project found that state media outlet RT was covertly paying influencers to spread pro-Russian content online. Influencers have commonly shared Russian government talking points on the Russo-Ukrainian war and promoted the idea of Westerners moving to Russia in pursuit of traditional values.[15][16] One such influencer, Alexandra Jost (known as "Sasha Meets Russia") was sanctioned by the European Union in June 2026.[17] In 2025, Czech investigative outlet Investigace.cz identified an influencer targeting Czech viewers who was on the payroll of Rossiya Segodnya, another Russian state media group.[18]
Use of foreigners
[edit]In September 2024, the United States indicted two Russia Today employees for allegedly funneling $10 million into Tenet Media, a company employing American and Canadian right-wing influencers.[19] Prosecutors stated the influencers themselves were not aware of the scheme.[20]
According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in 2024, Russia has paid influencers in Africa as part of disinformation campaigns.[21]
United States
[edit]In August 2026, The Washington Post reported that the United States Department of Defense had hired conservative military veterans with large social media followings as influencers.[22]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Seitz, Amanda; Tucker, Eric; Catalini, Mike (2022-03-30). "How China's TikTok, Facebook influencers push propaganda". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
- ↑ Annabell, Taylor; Goanta, Catalina; Kelder, Thijs; Pflücke, Felix (2025). "Sponsored by the State: The Private Regulation of Government Influencers". Journal of Consumer Policy. 48 (4): 489–521. doi:10.1007/s10603-025-09598-x. ISSN 0168-7034. PMC 12698842. PMID 41393160.
- ↑ "France: Beijing's Global Media Influence 2022 Country Report". Freedom House. 2022. Archived from the original on 2026-07-31. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- 1 2 "Digital threats from East Asia increase in breadth and effectiveness" (PDF). Microsoft. September 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2026-06-02. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- 1 2 Patrick, Igor (February 2024). "Hearts & Minds, Votes & Contracts: China's State Media in Latin America" (PDF). Wilson Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2026-02-11. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Opalinski, Nowmay (2024-09-30). "Sino-Pakistani digital diplomacy. Study of a joint informational manoeuvring system". Réseaux. 245 (3). CAIRN.INFO: 73–112. doi:10.3917/res.245.0073. ISSN 0751-7971.
- ↑ Davidson, Helen (2022-10-20). "China using influencers to whitewash human rights abuses, report finds". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
- 1 2 "Frontier influencers: the new face of China's propaganda". Australian Strategic Policy Institute. 2022-10-19. Archived from the original on 2026-07-29. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- 1 2 Mozur, Paul; Zhong, Raymond; Krolik, Aaron; Aufrichtig, Aliza; Morgan, Nailah (2021-12-14). "How Beijing Influences the Influencers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2025-09-06. Retrieved 2026-08-26.
- ↑ Thibault, Harold (2026-05-26). "How China uses influencers to polish its image". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 2026-05-26. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Liang, Siyu; McNamee, Lachlan (2026-03-05). "Authoritarian Persuasion at Home and Abroad: The Partial Effectiveness of Foreign Influencers in Propaganda Work". Comparative Political Studies. doi:10.1177/00104140261431834. ISSN 0010-4140.
These influencers, vloggers and social media personalities ... are financially incentivized through competitions like "My China Story" (第三只眼看中国), media tours, and commercial opportunities to create content that aligns with Chinese Communist Party messaging.
- ↑ "Recruitment of Online Influencers Reveals a New Tactic of China's United Front". Global Taiwan Institute. 2025-01-08. Archived from the original on 2025-09-06. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
- ↑ Thibault, Harold (2025-06-26). "China has enlisted star influencers to boost its global image". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
- ↑ Elia-Shalev, Asaf (2025-10-01). "Israel's secret 'Esther Project': DOJ filings reveal paid US influencer campaign amid AI-powered PR blitz". The Forward. Archived from the original on 2025-12-29. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "Banned Russian Channel RT Secretly Pays Video Bloggers Who Promote Kremlin Narratives". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. 2025-03-13. Archived from the original on 2026-08-21. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Akhmedova, Yulia (2024-07-24). "Skipping town. Russian Germans are moving to Kaliningrad in search of 'traditional values', Mother Russia, and themselves". Novaya Gazeta Europe. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "Sanctioned Pro-Kremlin Influencer Says She Will Continue with her "Mission"". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. 2026-06-18. Archived from the original on 2026-06-28. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Vejnbender, Kristina (2025-03-03). "Z Ruska s láskou a za peníze Kremlu. Influencerku z Česka platila ruská propaganda". investigace.cz (in Czech). Archived from the original on 2026-03-15. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Nakamura, David; Belton, Catherine; Sommer, Will (2024-09-18). "Justice Dept. charges two Russian media operatives in alleged scheme". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2025-10-23. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Tucker, Eric; Richer, Alanna Durkin; Kunzelman, Michael (2024-09-05). "Well-known right-wing influencers duped to work for covert Russian operation, U.S. prosecutors say". PBS News. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ "Mapping a Surge of Disinformation in Africa". Africa Center for Strategic Studies. 2024-03-13. Archived from the original on 2026-08-23. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
- ↑ Lamothe, Dan; Copp, Tara (2026-08-30). "Pentagon secretly installs military influencers in civilian roles". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-08-31.