We Are Dealing with Domestic Manipulative Narratives Spread Through Local Media

Serbian independent researcher in media and culture TIJANA MIĆANOVIĆ, discusses the realities of social media use by the public, the ruling party, and opposition forces during the campaign for Serbia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for October 25, as well as other issues related to social media and traditional media.

- Which social media platforms are most widely used by residents of Serbia? And what factors influence people’s choice of these platforms?

T.M. - In Serbia, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube are among the most widely used social media platforms, with Instagram being the most frequently used on a daily basis. According to research, the average user spends around 102 minutes on Instagram each day.

But it is also important to distinguish between different age groups. There are also some gender-specific patterns that influence social media use. For younger audiences, Instagram is definitely the most popular social media platform.

They prefer Instagram Stories and shorter content, such as Instagram Reels. However, we are also seeing a rise in TikTok use among young people, especially in the 18–29 age group. Facebook is still used most by older audiences, those over 40.

According to some research, there is also evidence that women prefer Instagram and more socially oriented, communicative social media platforms, while men prefer YouTube and video content, as well as some news portals.

But what is important to mention is how the popularity of these social media platforms has changed in terms of conveying political messages over the past two years. Instagram is mostly used by student accounts, which are currently leading the student movement and the opposition movement in Serbia, especially in the context of the upcoming parliamentary elections. (The elections will take place on October 25, 2026 – ed.)

They use Instagram to convey their messages about protests and their daily activities. It is also important to note that they, along with some other groups, use Twitter (now X) to share updates about their daily activities, as well as short and creative content.

- Who is currently winning the competition for public attention: traditional media (television, online/print media) or social networks? Which communication channels do the government, opposition groups, and civil society representatives prefer to use when addressing the public, especially during critical periods such as elections, political and other crises, or when sharing urgent news?

T.M. - In Serbia, the media landscape is still quite diversified. So, we can't say exactly who is winning, but TV and national broadcasters may still reach the widest audience. However, social media have gained importance, especially in the context of urgent communication, because news and various forms of content can spread very quickly, even in a live format.

Social media have become increasingly important, especially over the past two years, during which we have seen student protests spread widely among the general public. We have had both a student movement and a broader civic movement, and they use social media in particular to share their messages because they do not have access to traditional media, which are predominantly controlled by the government and the leading parties. Social media are therefore especially important for these various opposition groups.

The student movement began its activities in November 2024, when students started blockading universities, demanding an investigation into the tragedy in Novi Sad, where the concrete canopy at the entrance to the city's railway station collapsed. (The reference is to the collapse of the concrete canopy at the entrance to the railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, which resulted in fatalities - ed.)

They demanded a transparent investigation into the incident, as well as better conditions at universities. So, the students started their movement. The faculty blockades became widespread among the general public and civil society, and various groups across society began to support the students.

They began using social media to communicate their demands. They were very creative in how they expressed themselves and used social media, and their content achieved organic reach. This contrasts with traditional media, which remain under the control of the ruling party and are used predominantly by the party and various government bodies as part of what we might call the media machinery.

- Which groups (government officials, political party leaders, civil society organizations) are the most active users of social media in your country? For whom has social media become a primary tool of communication?

T.M.- As already mentioned, the student movement and various opposition civil society actors predominantly use social media to convey their messages. It is very important to highlight the role of decentralized communication. When the student movement began its activities, they established a central account called Studenti Blokadi (translated as “Protesting Students” – ed.), which currently has almost one million followers on Instagram. It is also interesting to note that each faculty has its own account. They use these accounts to convey similar messages, but each has its own style of addressing its public and audience.

And especially now, in the context of the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 25, they are using various formats on social media to convey their messages and try to engage as many people as possible in voting, because they have neither the budget nor access to traditional media.

- How does your country experience Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) and other forms of public opinion manipulation in practice? What role do social networks play in these hybrid attacks and in efforts to counter them?

T.M. - I wouldn't say that we have any particularly well-documented cases of FIMI, but government actors and the ruling party are definitely the ones framing the narrative, because they are present in most traditional media, especially the national broadcasters.

So, they are actually the ones framing the narrative, both in domestic and foreign policy. In terms of foreign policy, they are trying to portray China, Russia, and the US, especially after Trump's re-election, in a particularly positive light, presenting them as friends of our nation, whereas the European Union is usually portrayed very negatively.

They are trying to present their views as public opinion. They also use traditional media mainly to promote narratives that portray them in a positive light and perhaps conceal stories and events that could portray them negatively.

For example, if something happens here that could damage the image the ruling party is trying to establish, they create a false narrative or a story about something that did not actually happen to divert attention from the event that portrays them negatively. So, we have these cases of domestic media manipulation and domestic narrative manipulation.

These narratives can, of course, be amplified on social media, where they use bots. But what is interesting is that the accounts are not entirely fake. They are real people who may operate around 30 social media accounts to support these false narratives. So, we see how these different media channels interact.

This video was produced with the financial support of the European Union and the German Marshall Fund of the United States Transatlantic Foundation (GMF TF). Its contents are the sole responsibility of the “Region” Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the GMF TF.