Troll Farms Continue to Infest Social Media
“Don’t believe everything on the internet,” one is commonly warned, but with the daily deluge of information vying for our attention on social media, it can be difficult to winnow the wheat from the chaff. Even fact-checking sites like Snopes have an inherent bias.
As reported previously in News Weekly, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are infested by government-backed troll farms, in particular Russian and Chinese operations.
In internet parlance, a troll is “someone who leaves an intentionally annoying or offensive message on the internet, in order to upset someone or to get attention or cause trouble”.
The MIT Technology Review found that in 2019, leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, 19 out of the top 20 American Christian pages on Facebook were run by troll farms operating out of Eastern Europe, mainly Kosovo and Macedonia.
The American Psychological Association (APA) states:
“Political entities in at least 70 countries have engaged in coordinated online disinformation campaigns in recent years, with Russia alone launching more than 30 attacks on elections around the world since 2016. (2019 Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation, University of Oxford; Hacking Democracies, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2019) Online disinformation has also been linked to mass killings around the world, from Myanmar to India.”
Skewed Narratives
Russia and China are harnessing social media as a tool of psychological warfare or psy-ops, attempting to control the worldwide narrative on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as China’s claims on Taiwan.
The Atlantic reported on it in March 2022:
“A comment widely circulated across various Chinese social-media platforms in recent days depicts the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a romantic triangle: Ukraine is characterised as Russia’s ex-wife, who mistreated the couple’s two children – the breakaway pro-Moscow regions of Luhansk and Donetsk – and who also flirted with the United States and dreamed of joining the NATO family but was rebuffed.
“Alternate and expanded versions of the metaphor include the U.S. abducting another child, Taiwan, with the implication that China should follow the example of Russia, which took back its own offspring, Crimea.”
Russia justifies its violence against Ukrainians by portraying Ukraine and Western nations as “evil and immoral”, and “framing messages in terms of power dynamics. If Russia is merely a victim that other world powers are exploiting, the country has a justification for revenge,” the APA reports, citing researcher Tin Nguyen.
The Taipei Times observes how Ukraine has adroitly countered the insidious claims:
“Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Kyiv has controlled the narrative with a hybrid approach of news, public opinion, psychological and cognitive elements, and disinformation. Information warfare has displaced traditional political warfare and gained new strategic importance.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rallied his people and garnered worldwide support with live broadcasts amidst the turmoil, and ordinary Ukrainians have also contributed their personal accounts on social media of Ukrainian courage and Russian incompetence.
University of Bristol psychology professor Stephan Lewandowsky reflects:
“The Ukrainians are fighting a 21st-century war, which is half on the internet. That new approach has worked extremely well because it has pre-empted Russian attempts to rewrite history.”
Arizona State University professor Peter W. Singer (not to be confused with Australian philosopher Peter Singer) coined the term “LikeWar” in reference to the increasing influence of social media in political conflicts. “If you think of cyber war as the hacking of networks, LikeWar is its evil twin: the hacking of people on those networks, through our likes, shares, and sometimes lies,” he said.
Cambridge researcher Jon Roozenbeek, who studies disinformation and media coverage of Ukraine, has witnessed how Russia has employed a variety of psychological manipulation strategies online:
“The Kremlin stoked outgroup animosity toward Ukrainians and the Ukrainian government during the takeover of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, a tactic linked with high social-media engagement.”
Another tactic that Russian President Vladimir Putin has used is “rapid-fire lying”, such as around the 2014 Malaysia Airlines disaster.
“The Kremlin’s constant stream of lies – that it was a Ukrainian attack, that all the passengers were dead before take-off, that the pilot intentionally crashed the plane – is used to sow confusion and disillusionment.”
Lewandowsky explains:
“It’s a fire hose of falsehoods that don’t even hang together. They’re just saying anything, literally anything, to reinforce people’s belief that you can never get to the truth.”
Zara Abrams at the APA notes:
“By design, mis- and disinformation are more infectious and incendiary than factual information, which makes them particularly useful in wartime.
Research has shown that after undergoing fact-checking, information deemed false spreads faster on social media than information deemed true – a trend fuelled by people, not bots. Misinformation tends to draw on moral-emotional language, making it more likely to be shared.”
Companies, Governments React
The APA’s Nguyen avers that social media platforms are now actively limiting the spread of Russian disinformation:
“Twitter is adding labels to Russian state-sponsored media, while Meta is demoting such posts. Reddit is making it harder to find the subreddit ‘r/Russia’, and TikTok is limiting livestreams and uploads from Russia.”
In May, Meta (the parent company of Facebook) expelled 107 accounts conducted by Chinese operatives that created a fake news outlet, the “New Europe Observation”, attempting to foment strife in Europe. Rolling Stone reported:
“The fake network posted anti-immigration screeds, opposed boycotts of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, criticised Taiwanese politicians, and pushed propaganda about China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority population.”
Meanwhile, in April, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced that charges had been filed regarding a “state-directed criminal scheme directed at residents of the United States”, being a Chinese troll farm that harassed Chinese nationals living in the United States.
“Using fake Twitter and other social media accounts, the group also amplified or created misinformation tied to the origins of covid19, the Russia-Ukraine war, tensions in the South China Sea and discrimination issues such as the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, according to the affidavit,” SC Media reported.
Comprised of officers from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, allocated to the Beijing-based “912 Special Project Working Group”, the operation “allegedly targeted outspoken critics of the Chinese Government and other dissidents who had left the country to escape persecution. It created thousands of fake online personas on social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook, to harass and threaten the dissidents, and to spread Chinese Government propaganda and narratives to counter the pro-democracy messages of its victims.”
Inoculate Yourself
Professor Singer and his colleagues advocate “cyber citizenship”: being able to discern the veracity of information through fostering “digital literacy, responsible behaviour, and awareness of the threat of online manipulation”.
“Whether it’s Russian disinformation, an antivaxxer conspiracy theory, or just someone trying to tell your kids that aliens built the pyramids, having all three of those skills is an incredibly effective way to resist manipulation,” Singer declared.
Being open to discussion and debate can be key to sifting through information, instead of blindly parroting what we read online, though it may gel with our natural biases. Trolls are joining groups on both sides of hot-button political issues, playing on emotions to widen the divide.
Perhaps the best way to avoid such inflammatory and false content is simply to switch off social media and consciously spend more time in face-to-face interactions, building your local community through positive steps. As another popular maxim goes: “Don’t feed the trolls.”
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Originally published in News Weekly. Photo by mikoto.raw.
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I just tried leaving a comment and it said I’ve been blocked from this site.
I’d just like to comment on Jean’s article by adding that while the concerns raised about disinformation campaigns are legitimate, they are not limited to any single nation. Presenting this issue as primarily stemming from Russia and China exemplifies the West’s own use of media in psy-ops and strategic narratives.
The Global Nature of Disinformation
The article positions Russia and China as the main culprits of internet trolling and misinformation. However, it’s crucial to remember that several Western nations, including the U.S. and UK, have been found guilty of running similar operations. Operations such as the UK’s Integrity Initiative or the U.S.’s Operation Earnest Voice, for instance, have used the internet to disseminate narratives favorable to their interests.
Selective Presentation of Data
Jean Seah’s article cites numerous sources, from MIT Technology Review to the APA, that underscore the purported influence of Russian and Chinese troll farms. However, the omission of similar activities from Western states paints an incomplete picture. A comprehensive review would show that Western states are equally involved in such activities.
Misrepresentation of Narratives
The article’s portrayal of the Russia-Ukraine and China-Taiwan dynamics seems to toe a specific line, emphasizing the malfeasance of the former while overlooking nuances and the geopolitical motivations of all parties involved. It’s essential to understand that every nation seeks to protect its interests, and all states engage in narrative warfare to some degree.
The Role of Social Media Companies
While the article notes the steps taken by social media platforms to combat Russian and Chinese disinformation, it remains silent on the cozy relationships many of these tech giants have with Western governments. The symbiotic relationship between big tech and the U.S. government, for instance, has been well-documented.
Not Just Eastern Operatives
Pointing out China’s alleged attempts to “foment strife in Europe” or Russia’s supposed “rapid-fire lying” technique is an oversimplification. The West, too, has a rich history of employing propaganda, misinformation, and influencing operations, from Cold War radio broadcasts to the use of modern social media platforms.
Towards True Digital Literacy
The call for “cyber citizenship” is commendable. Still, it should be universal and not tied to a specific narrative or geopolitical agenda. Every internet user, regardless of their nationality, should be armed with the tools to discern truth from fiction.
Conclusion
In an era where information warfare is a tool wielded by many, it’s crucial to approach all narratives, including those from the West, with a discerning eye. A nuanced, global perspective is needed more than ever.
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Thankyou for your perspective.
The west has certainly been up to its eye teeth in similar practises.
We certainly need wisdom and discernment.