Carnegie Mellon University researchers have analyzed more than 200 million tweets discussing the Corona pandemic and related issues since January. According to the researchers, nearly half of these tweets discussing the virus appeared to be from robots.
In an article published by The Hill, writer Eren Rs says that the Russians are already working to introduce chaos and mistrust into the American electoral system and American daily life, not only the Russians but also the Chinese, North Koreans and Iranians, and “other enemies” and perhaps some Our allies seem to be succeeding, which is a problem for the United States.
Soviet Union tactics
She spent much time studying the traditional and unconventional tactics of the Soviet Union, when the Soviets were very fond of using asymmetric warfare tactics, by supporting the insurgency, the fifth column and psychological tactics (including supporting terrorist groups in All over the world and provoke revolutions in as many small countries as possible).
The author warns of the ability of "enemies" - as I described them - to exploit the division and rift in American society, with the aim of destabilizing their strong enemy, and misinformation is one of many and most effective weapons, as it is difficult to trace and exploit internal weaknesses.
Facebook, Twitter and other social media are the tools used in this war, the social media platforms are very weak. It provides clear opportunities for hostile exploitation and is relatively untraceable.
Perhaps the purpose of social media platforms was originally intended to connect and engage, but over time there is growing evidence that poor actors have used social media to outrageously manipulate users, and politicians are increasingly using them to mislead.
Although Twitter has recently taken a stand on the tweets of US President Donald Trump, social media is not always making the effort to verify the facts, and false information continues to flood its platforms every day.
Profit is important
It seems that the goal of social media companies today is revenue, which they obtain by selling marketing data to those who will pay for it. They provide their audiences with a means of communication, thereby obtaining all the information they can obtain about that audience, and then they sell the information regardless of whether it is bought by good or bad intentions.
There is no ethical situation as long as such companies generate salable data, and the more intense the connections, the more they can target their markets.
Posts, memes, and messages are not scanned to eliminate misinformation. Both conservatives and progressives benefit from misinformation on social media.
A recent example is a collection of fake leaflets in which a man resembling a Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauffin - accused of killing African-American George Floyd - appears wearing a hat that says "Make America Great" (the Trump campaign slogan), as well as appearing on stage with Trump at an event.
The photos spread widely, stirring more controversy, although the images were discovered to be fake, but they were a spark to those opposed to police brutality.
False messages are passed because they reflect the feelings of the person creating the post, or the feelings they want to incite who might see it. Most users do not analyze the information that appears to them through these platforms, and if the posts agree with their feelings, they will likely pass on it without taking the time to verify what is in it. Unfortunately, these posts often contain misleading information, half-truths, or outright lies.
Continuing to share misinformation is more harmful than useful, as it allows opponents to argue over accuracy rather than core issues.
Social media has the potential to provide an unimaginable connection, but it is vulnerable to malicious external manipulation. Phantom accounts generated from abroad often aim to spread social and political division and isolation, as Carnegie Mellon University research indicates.
The author concludes by saying that since social media companies have largely followed the "non-interference" approach to verifying information posted on their platforms, we each have an individual responsibility to verify the posts we receive.
This means devoting time to do the necessary research, and warning that if we do not take this responsibility as individual users, we are doomed to follow the path of all the other great world powers that have ended up in the dustbin of history.