#influencing public opinion

[eretzyisrael]

Last week, a representative of an Israeli social threat intelligence firm Cyabra spoke at a Knesset session about how a coordinated influence campaign from Iraq was using bots in the first days of the war to impact public opinion.

I've discussed this a little, and I spent some more time looking at the bots attacking my account.

Social media allows attackers to quickly adjust their methods to see what is working and what isn't. I'm finding that they are getting more effective at their messaging.

The ones attacking me are specifically trying to turn the Israeli public against the war. They post almost exclusively in Hebrew. They are using a few vectors for their messaging that would resonate with Israelis: attacking Netanyahu's leadership, pretending to care about the hostages, and claiming that the IDF is hiding things from the public during the war and things are going badly.

When they create new bot accounts, they will use Jewish and Israeli iconography in their profiles - lots of Israeli flags, for example. 

They'll use typically Jewish and Israeli names - lots of "Levy" and "Cohen" and "Friedman"s. And there is a hierarchy - some older bot accounts that have been around for several months that aren't specifically Israeli sounding are feeding a second tier, which might have 30-150 fake followers of other bots, and then the bottom tier will only have one or two followers. Nearly all of the bottom tier accounts have been created within the past few weeks. 

Often, the accounts will start off by following and retweeting actual popular Zionist accounts (including mine) to make themselves look legitimate,. and sometimes this fools real people into following them, making it a little harder to identify them.

I don't know where they get their content, but it is getting much more sophisticated every day. Here is a video that was posted by hundreds of those bots where they use humor to try to demoralize Israelis into thinking the IDF is killing hostages and being killed by Hamas because of stupidity. This one seems to have been created by an Arab account but they added Hebrew messaging. 

As I mentioned last week, Iranian-linked sites are bragging that they are learning Hebrew and studying the Israeli psyche to fine tune these sorts of messages and make them appear to be truly from Israelis.

To these botmasters, Israeli dissension on how to conduct the war and anti-government protests are a godsend. It makes some of their messages look like they really could be from left-wing Israelis, and some of their material may indeed be from a fringe of Israelis. The sheer number of bots makes it appear that Israelis are far more divided.

The good news is that their attempt to use these bots to get a ceasefire or demoralize the Israeli public means that Hamas is losing, badly. But every social media user must understand how extensive and sophisticated these campaigns are to manipulate you. Tens of thousands of fake accounts, with millions of messages, is not a small scale campaign. 

[alwaysbewoke]

[cuntylouis]

When i've been disappointed by so many celebrities i used to like in the past weeks i've have had the opposite experience with Bella Hadid. Like i used to think she was shallow and overrated but now i've realized she actually seems to be a really brave and smart woman. It must be hard to be a high-profile Palestinian in America currently and she and her sister have been receiving death threats but she still refuses to be silenced. Most of her famous friends who're usually in her comments seem to have conveniently disappeared too. I have a lot of respect for her

[lacewise]

Anyway if you want a video that genuinely explains some of the pressures of influencers from the perspective of a specific school of thought, I highly recommend:

The Problem With ‘Video Essays’ by Elliot Sang

I, as always, do not agree with Karl Marx but it’s a useful framework for the discussion.

[mysticdragon3md3]

You Are What You Watch - 99% Invisible

[reanimatedgh0ul]

atp i think the difference btwn my take on danny in re:animated au vs where he's more canon compliant is his relationship to being a hero

[pleuvoire]

i do think that when talking about the environmental impact of fossil fuel alternatives, in a like "but __ has its problems too" way, it's worth considering the possibility that those ideas may be exaggerated by propaganda from fossil fuel companies to mitigate the competition. of course every technology will have its downsides that should be seriously weighed against its upsides, and of course every technology under capitalism will attempt to follow capitalism's unsustainable and exploitative infinite-growth model until capitalism itself is dismantled, but idk... hearing that the "but wind turbines kill birds" thing is mostly a line pushed by oil companies without much statistically significant real-world grounding was kind of a lightbulb moment for me

[septimus-heap]

Imagine how much better the world would be if the harry potter books were never written

[trendynewsnow]

The Evolution of Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections

In 2016, when Russia took unprecedented steps to meddle in the U.S. presidential election, their methods were crude yet effective. They employed divisive and inflammatory posts across social media platforms, aiming to provoke outrage among American voters. The language used was often brash, marked by spelling errors and awkward syntax, as exemplified by one notorious post stating, “Hillary is a…

[creativemedianews]

The Role of Media in Shaping Public Opinion: How Media Coverage Influences Decision-Making

The Role of Media in Shaping Public Opinion: How Media Coverage Influences Decision-Making #Agenda-SettingTheory

[dreamstz1]

Navigating Opinions That Define Influence in Current Politics

In today’s fast-paced political landscape, the influence of public opinion is more significant than ever. As citizens engage with various media platforms, their opinions shape political discourse and decision-making processes. This post delves into how opinions navigate and define influence in current politics, examining the mechanisms through which public sentiment is formed and…

[immaculatasknight]

Clinging to delusions

[blackgirlslivingwell]

Why Are The Hodge Twins Making Videos About Black Women - Pandering To YTs & Colorism?

In this video, I want to talk about the Hodge Twins and their content about Black women (and other marginalized groups).

[jiasharma8]

How Social Media Affects Public Opinion and News Dissemination

From Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to TikTok, social media platforms have been at the forefront of public opinion formation and news provision. The paper tries to delve deeper into the deep impacts social media has on public opinion and news dissemination, with a focus on the benefits associated with its challenges.

The Rise of Social Media as a News Source

Traditionally, newspapers, television, and radio have been the biggest sources of information for people. All of that has changed with social media. According to a number of studies done recently, a majority of the population uses social media for news updates. Twitter offers real-time information, while Facebook and Instagram do so through posts and stories.

The real charm of social media as a source of news lies in its ease of access and immediacy. A user can access news from any place at any time, thereby breaking all geographical barriers to enable exchange across the world. Besides, social media provides an opportunity for a more interactive experience where users can interact with news material in terms of likes, comments, and shares, hence creating a sense of community and collective discussion.

Shaping Public Opinion

Social media is very influential. In this case, algorithms are skewed toward high-engagement content, mostly sensational and emotionally charged news. This thus further promotes and drives the spread of misinformation and existing biases.

One of the very well-known effects of social media is that of the echo chamber. In most cases, users subscribe to accounts and join groups which advocate their ideas. In many cases, this creates a self-referential feedback loop where they only see information confirming them. This polarizes public opinion and leads to ruptures in society.

It has further provided a platform to the marginalized voice and the grassroots movements. Hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo have gained international attention, mobilizing people against social justice issues and bringing about real change. This is the way through which social media can turn into a gadget of empowerment and activism.

Spread of Misinformation

The biggest challenges that come with social media are misinformation and, to a lesser extent, disinformation. Wrong information may be so easy to share and reach millions of people before appropriate verification is made. The result can be election manipulation and hazardous health advice.

The factors at play in the sharing of misinformation on social media are high velocities of sharing, the absence of editorials, and bots and fake accounts which more often than not further amplify the posts. To add to this, the design of social media platforms that favors engagement over accuracy is very detrimental in this regard.

The challenge of misinformation needs a multi-dimensional solution. Among other solutions, fact-checking partnerships, content warnings, and algorithm changes have been rolled out by social media companies in an effort to stanch the flow of inaccurate information. The onus of critically evaluating the information received and passed along, therefore, squarely falls on the user.

The Role of Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers have turned into real opinion Drivers. Having enormous numbers of followers and incredibly high engagement levels, an influencer could easily shift his followers' opinions on topics ranging from politics to consumer-based goods. This has created the dramatic ascent of influencer marketing, where brands partner with influencers to promote their products and services.

While they can turn into a font of great information and entertainment, qualms persist over their effects on public discourse. Sponsored content promotion can blur the lines between authentic opinions and paid sponsorships, further adding to questions about credibility and transparency.

[tolkpopfan]

…

[galvanizedfriend]

The US Copyright Office is opening a public comment period around AI

American friends! The US Copyright Office (which we know exerts huuuge influence in how these things are treated elsewhere) wants to hear opinions on copyright and AI.

"The US Copyright Office is opening a public comment period around AI and copyright issues beginning August 30th as the agency figures out how to approach the subject."

We can assume that the opposing side will definitely be using all of their lobbying power towards widespread AI use, so this is a very good chance to let them know your thoughts on AI and how art and creative content of all kinds should be protected.