In today’s international system, cultural production has become not only an artistic or commercial activity, but also a direct instrument of geopolitical strategy. The rise of China, not only economically but also symbolically, is seriously undermining the United States’ (US) long-held position of cultural hegemony. What we are witnessing today is not only a shift in consumer habits, but a shift at the center of cultural production. This shift requires us to reassess the transformation of soft power instruments and the influence of non-state actors in geopolitical processes.
From a realist perspective, the competition over TikTok can be read as a cultural manifestation of the power transition between China and the US. According to Organski and Kugler’s theory, when a rising power approaches the capacity of the current hegemon, the potential for conflict inevitably arises.[i] China’s expansion of its symbolic sphere of influence not only through its navy or economy but also through digital tools such as TikTok shows that this conflict has moved to a cultural front.
TikTok, a social media platform owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, has emerged as a global alternative to classical Western media monopolies. Beyond being just a youth entertainment app, it has become a means of identity construction, daily life aesthetics and even political expression, especially for Generation Z. The rapid rise of TikTok among American youth, especially since the pandemic, clearly reveals the target audience of this cultural competition and creates a favorable ground for the manipulation of the relevant audiences.
TikTok’s algorithmic structure shapes the production and dissemination of content, along with user preferences, through Chinese platform engineering. This creates an algorithmic superiority that goes beyond classical media diplomacy; what is visible and what becomes an agenda is determined, not consciously but systemically, by a China-based digital infrastructure. This makes the practice controversial, especially in states like the United States, which are motivated to preserve their cultural independence. The TikTok example has revealed the strategic use of digital interdependence. A Chinese company’s global reach allows it to centrally influence content policies. This leads to debates in the US over data security and content control. In this context, the law passed by the US House of Representatives in 2024, which stipulates that TikTok will either change hands or be banned, points not only to technological competition but also to the intertwining of the cultural sphere with political strategy.[ii]
China is not only exporting products; it is also circulating new forms of identity in terms of lifestyle, aesthetics and youth. Chinese viral objects such as “Labubu dolls” are spreading rapidly both in the domestic market and globally through platforms such as TikTok, producing alternatives to aesthetic codes that influence Western consumption habits. The popularization of Chinese short dramas and “AI web novel”-based micro-dramas in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Europe illustrates a transformation in which cultural flows not only flow from West to East, but also from East to West in the opposite direction.
The hegemonic order established by the US in the post-Cold War era was not only maintained through military and economic means, but also through cultural narratives such as Hollywood, pop music and CNN: Instead of subverting this hegemony, China is quietly encircling it through digital platforms. Applications such as TikTok make it possible for China to establish indirect and everyday contact with young audiences. These contacts are not through direct propaganda, but through seemingly neutral content such as recipes, dance trends, ASMR videos, minimalist home decorations. However, these contents are of great importance in terms of ordinaryizing and “normalizing” China.
TikTok’s content dissemination power is determined not only by user-generated content, but also through algorithmic filters and routing mechanisms. In this way, China-based digital productions can shape global trends. This new method of cultural production can be much more covert and effective than classical ideological conflicts.
In conclusion, China’s cultural production power is now one of the central issues in international relations. It is laying the foundations of a new world order not only through its military and economic rise but also through its aesthetic, symbolic and digital influence. The US legislative proposals against TikTok show that this struggle is not only diplomatic or technological, but also a battle for narrative supremacy. The future global order will be shaped not only by military capacity but also by the power of cultural production.
Ayşe Azra GILAVCI
[i] Akgül, Ö. (2019). “Rethinking Power Transition Theory and Multiple Hierarchy Model: Theoretical Analysis of the Change in the World Power Hierarchy”. Journal of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Economics and Administrative Sciences Faculty, 6(3), 815-831. https://doi.org/10.30798/makuiibf.529777, (Date of Access: 29.07.2025).
[ii] “The US House of Representatives passed the bill that makes it possible to ban TikTok in the country”, Anadolu Agency, https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/abd-temsilciler-meclisi-tiktokun-ulkede-yasaklanmasini-mumkun-kilan-tasariyi-kabul-etti/3163678, (Date of Access: 29.07.2025).