Social Media Disruptions

  • #AllEyesOnISIS

    #AllEyesOnISIS
    Background: 2014 invasion of northern Iraq
    Forms: Twitter
    Tactics: announcements (military operation), recruiting, propaganda
  • The Chinese Communist Party

    The Chinese Communist Party
    Background: China has been instilling nationalism among the 700 million Chinese internet users in order to bolster the state against the perceived threats of outside information.
    Forms: Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc.
    Tactics: censorship, manipulation, hired trolls
  • Protest at Turkey's Incirlik Air Base

    Protest at Turkey's Incirlik Air Base
    Background: "Peaceful anti-U.S. protest outside Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base was transformed, in characterizations by Russian media and internet trolls, into a much larger mob riot—portrayals that filtered into U.S. media and online discussion."
    Forms: Twitter
    Tactics: trolling, false information, blame game
  • Brexit

    Brexit
    Forms: Twitter, Facebook, Blogs
    Tactics: #brexit, news coverage, persuasive speech
  • Venezuela: Pro-Government

    Venezuela: Pro-Government
    Background: "Authorities have used pro-government Twitter bots to manipulate one of the few news sources not already controlled by the state; the fake Twitter followers of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro were so loyal that he became the third-most-retweeted public figure in the world."
    Forms: Twitter
    Tactics: manipulate sources, create loyalty, mobilize citizens
  • U.S. Presidential Election

    U.S. Presidential Election
    Background: "This election cycle, Russian hackers targeted the U.S. political system, digging up embarrassing information and spreading it as widely as possible. Russian trolls posed as angry U.S. supporters of one or another political campaign while outlets like RT leapt to enlarge the divisions that other parts of the propaganda machine had helped create."
    Forms: Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Fake News, News, etc.
    Tactics: ruining credibility, candidate corruption