Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group and a convicted criminal, recently delivered an 11-minute speech reflecting on his brief revolt against the Russian government. Interestingly, he chose to share his message through a voice memo on the popular app Telegram, which allowed for instant feedback. The response to his speech has been mixed, with 155,600 fire emojis and 131,900 clown emojis.
For those closely following the ongoing conflict in Russia and Ukraine, it is not uncommon to see playful reaction emojis underneath photos, videos, and texts documenting the horrors of war in real-time. Since Russia’s invasion, Telegram has become a quick source of information about the chaos on the ground. People can download the app and access live updates from citizens, soldiers, and the government, although the information can often be confusing and contradictory. Time magazine even dubbed Telegram “the digital battle space” shortly after the start of the Ukraine war, as onlookers turned to the app to try and understand whether Russia was heading towards civil war.
Telegram plays a vital role in the war between Russia and Ukraine, with Yevgeny Prigozhin using the platform to broadcast, organize, and orchestrate events. According to Aric Toler, an investigative journalist for Bellingcat, almost every piece of information about the war on other social platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook originates from Telegram. Many popular accounts on these platforms simply repackage content from Telegram, often through unreliable translation tools.
Despite having fewer users compared to chat platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram has become the preferred communications platform for activists, crypto scammers, drug dealers, terrorists, extremists, banned influencers, and conspiracy theorists. Its free, lightweight, privacy-focused, and anti-censorship nature attract individuals who want to operate under the radar. Telegram serves as a theater of war, a clandestine marketplace, and a safe haven where deplatformed individuals can build their alternative realities. These characteristics make Telegram an excellent fit for the turbulent 2020s and arguably the most important app in the world today.
Founded by the Durov brothers, Nikolai and Pavel, Telegram embodies their techno-libertarian ideals, particularly those of CEO Pavel Durov. The brothers, who previously founded the popular Russian social network VKontakte, launched Telegram in a bid to create a free and secure communications platform outside the reach of the Russian state. Durov has positioned Telegram as a staunch anti-surveillance tool, even defending its use by groups like ISIS, arguing that they would find other ways to communicate regardless. Telegram has played a crucial role in protests and demonstrations in countries like Belarus and China.
One key aspect that sets Telegram apart is its commitment to end-to-end encryption, a feature supported by companies like Apple and Meta. Telegram’s leadership also takes a hands-off approach to content moderation, except for illegal pornography and explicit calls to violence. This approach allows far-right influencers like Milo Yiannopoulos and neo-Nazi sympathizers like Nick Fuentes to continue posting on the platform after being deplatformed elsewhere. Telegram offers them a space to attract followers, spread hateful rhetoric, and solicit donations without competing against algorithmic feeds. The platform has also been used to distribute shooter manifestos and information related to weapon manufacturing, leading the Simon Wiesenthal Center to label it the “online weapon of choice for the violent far-right.” It was allegedly used to coordinate the January 6 insurrection, resulting in an influx of accounts following conspiracy theorists and election deniers.
Telegram’s size and opacity contribute to its unique appeal. While many channels are easily searchable, a significant portion of activity occurs in invite-only channels, making it challenging for researchers, journalists, and law enforcement to study or scrutinize. Its lack of oversight also attracts content that has been banned from larger platforms. For instance, the Christchurch shooter’s manifesto spread widely in Eastern European countries through Telegram in the weeks following the attack.
Telegram is both a valuable resource and a confusion machine during frenetic news events. While it offers verification for public figures, it is flooded with dubious eyewitness accounts and strategic propaganda. Dissidents have perceived Telegram as an ally in their struggle against repression and digital censorship, leading to its widespread adoption during events like the Belarus-election protests. However, the Belarusian state has also leveraged Telegram’s lack of moderation to manipulate citizens through state-run channels, distributing propaganda.
In many ways, Telegram encapsulates the chaos of the 2020s, a decade marked by competing versions of reality, pandemics, political corruption, war, and the rise of global authoritarianism. It serves as a window through which millions witness these chaotic events unfolding. Telegram exposes a truth about the internet—determining whether a particular technology is the cause of chaos or merely a symptom is incredibly challenging. Telegram appears to be an essential resource in a world that feels as though it is unraveling, despite being one of the many forces contributing to the fraying seams of society.
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