Study reveals how Russian trolls manipulated Twitter conversations
Over the weekend, Twitter told 677,775 people via email that they interacted with Russian propaganda during the 2016 presidential election. But according to Kate Starbird, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, that's far from enough.
In a Twitter thread on Saturday, Starbird shared her recent research into social networks and the "echo chambers" they create. Her team successfully identified that polarized tweets are one way people, including Russian trolls, can effectively manipulate conversations.
SEE ALSO:Twitter to notify users who got played by Russian propaganda accountsIn an academic paper titled "Examining Trolls and Polarization with a Retweet Network," the researchers used previous research on Twitter discourse about the #BlackLivesMatter movement and police-related shootings in 2016 to analyze how Russian troll accounts played a part.
Starbird highlighted a figure from the paper that shows retweets of troll accounts:
Tweet may have been deleted
Using Twitter's publicly available data, the researchers collected related tweets from Dec. 31, 2015 to Oct. 5, 2016. They searched for keywords “shooting," “shooter," “gun shot," and “gun man" and then narrowed that set of nearly 59 million tweets to 248,719 that also contained either “#BlackLivesMatter,” “#BlueLivesMatter,” or “#AllLivesMatter."
After Twitter released a list of accounts that were tied to Russian troll factories, the researchers cross-referenced and incorporated them into the data set.
"We observe that retweets of troll accounts are largely contained within each cluster, suggesting that the RU-IRA trolls participated in distinct information flow networks," the paper reads. "We also note that retweets of troll accounts appear more pervasive in the left-leaning cluster than on the right-leaning cluster, suggesting greater infiltration with the left-leaning side of the conversation."
As the research showed, the troll accounts retweet each other.
Tweet may have been deleted
Twitter shared in its email to users that it was committed to identifying and taking action against "coordinated malicious activity." But as Starbird and her team of researchers at the University of Washington showed, most of the damage has already been done.
Tweet may have been deleted
On Monday, Facebook executives and outside experts released their thoughts on the negative effects social media has had on democracy.
"From the Arab Spring to robust elections around the globe, social media seemed like a positive," wrote Katie Harbath,a global politics and government outreach director at Facebook. "The last US presidential campaign changed that, with foreign interference that Facebook should have been quicker to identify to the rise of 'fake news' and echo chambers."
Twitter's Public Policy blog has kept users up to date — well, belatedly, by U.S. lawmakers' standards — on the investigation into the use of its platform during 2016 election. But the company hasn't dived quite as deep into the psychological consequences, at least not publicly. Twitter declined to comment on the University of Washington study.
For now, Starbird and other researchers can continue investigating how our digital conversations take shape — and they'll most likely use the same platforms they're studying to disseminate their insights.
Featured Video For You
The hottest new gaming accessory is literally just cardboard
-
Naver, Kakao strive to combat deepfake porn spreading onlineS. Korea urges NK to end provocations as allies start military drillsAmazon’s new Echo speaker puts Alexa in an orbAmazon's new Echo Show now follows your movementsThe Wonderful World of Christmas TreesDeadmau5's 'Oberhasli' is what it looks like when the metaverse comes for music fans12 of the best dating memesN. Korean leader inspects simulated attack on S. Korean border islandsCrowdStrike outage is still causing hundreds of flight cancellations dailyGabbie Hanna returns to social media
- ·How much for Oasis tickets? Fans joke about splurging on reunion shows
- ·芦山县农产品质量安全监督检验检测站“双认证”通过专家组评审
- ·Apple unveils eighth
- ·LAPD used facial recognition software tied to wrongful arrests
- ·Where to pre
- ·Deadmau5's 'Oberhasli' is what it looks like when the metaverse comes for music fans
- ·Prosecution fights at all levels to protect investigative powers
- ·Nearly half of Americans who rely on YouTube for news watch independent channels
- ·Discover Secret Swimming Holes and Hidden History in Crystal River, Florida
- ·BTS' parent company is making NFTs, and fans are furious
- ·Momota’s career goes into free fall
- ·The best messaging apps not owned by Facebook
- ·How much will PCB's Champions Cup mentors be paid?
- ·PCB suspends coach for 'sexually assaulting' woman cricketer
- ·Inventor breaks record for world's fastest electric ice cream van
- ·Taiwan condemns China over changes in fan labelling
- ·优化广东优质农产品产销资源对接!“农友圈”又有新动作
- ·芦山县农产品质量安全监督检验检测站“双认证”通过专家组评审
- ·N. Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan
- ·Watching nature movies may actually boost your mood
- ·2016's $400 GPU vs. 2019's $400 GPUs
- ·Apple quietly improves terms for AppleCare+
- ·[Graphic News] Half of call center workers had suicidal thoughts due to poor labor conditions
- ·BBC wary of launching radio service to N. Korea
- ·Apple's iPhone 17 will come with a huge RAM upgrade, report claims
- ·How 'Midnight Mass' finds peace in the shadow of death
- ·Tesla Robotaxis aren't coming in August, it seems
- ·5 things I noticed during my 24 hours with the Apple Watch Series 6
- ·Labor relations are foundation for building Uzbekistan’s Third Renaissance
- ·S336汕头南澳段获评广东省“交旅融合发展”十佳案例
- ·How to watch 'Kinds of Kindness': When is it streaming?
- ·Japanese PM blasts Pyongyang over missile test: 'Unprecedented, serious and grave threat'
- ·芦山县农产品质量安全监督检验检测站“双认证”通过专家组评审
- ·Nunez targets trophies after sealing Liverpool move
- ·Norris stuns Verstappen at Dutch GP
- ·How to block those incredibly annoying robotexts