Manipulation in social media will be more and more. Also in Poland
Lies, manipulation, misinformation, fake-news - paid, commissioned opinions published on the web are becoming more and more common phenomenon. Also in Poland.
Manipulating public opinion through social media platforms is becoming an increasing threat to public life. Government agencies and political parties around the world use social platforms to manipulate public opinion and disseminate false information. Confidence in public institutions, science and the media suffers.
This is how the introduction to the report prepared by the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) begins, in which our country is also named. Spoiler: this is not good news. But let's start with what this report specifically addresses.
Manipulation in social media has already become a common phenomenon.
Samantha Bradshaw and Philip N. Howard have analyzed content published on social media platforms around the world in search of evidence to manipulate public opinion. Such evidence has been found in 48 countries. In this in Poland. Our country appears in the context of manipulation in social media since 2015. Our paid trolls have already gained some experience.
The most commonly used methods of manipulation according to Bradshaw and Howard are:
- provoking discussions on platforms with the greatest coverage (blogs, Facebook, large news portals, etc.).
- trolling , hate speech, or simply provocations aimed at selected social groups or individual public figures
- automated spam maintained by account-bots.
Most manipulations in MS usually occur before the election
In this way, we go to the one who most often manipulates such manipulations. And yes, you guessed it, parties and politicians see nothing wrong with such practices. It is also not a cultural matter or the affliction of a certain type of country. The public opinion is being manipulated by politicians from around the world. Germany, Pakistan, Poland, United States, Russia, Great Britain, Cambodia, etc.
Therefore, the most commissioned campaigns appear in pre-election periods. They are becoming more and more sophisticated. In addition to the vulgar spam "X the best candidate for Y" , Polish election staffs are starting to use increasingly sophisticated tricks. For example, agitating for a specific candidate under the cover of telephone surveys, i.e. We could observe the push-polling during the last local elections.
Polish spin-doctors also started more delicate forms of pressure. Publication of 50 identically-sounding comments under the banner of a politician can arouse legitimate suspicions in real recipients. But buying a few thousand likes under such a post at first glance may seem like a trustworthy picture.
Social proof of rightness
It is hardly surprising that the Internet is becoming the main platform for manipulation of public opinion. Once, it is the most popular medium in developed and developing countries, two: it is still quite easy to remain anonymous on the Internet, and three: such treatments are effective.
Especially when it comes to social media, which by definition are in contact with ... communities. If an advertising agency or a political team is able to create a picture for us, on which the majority of our community (eg the rest commenting on a given entry on Facebook) supports a given view, then it is very possible that we will also agree with it.
Robert Beno Cialdini, a professor at the University of Arizona and the author of the book To influence people, he calls this phenomenon a social proof of rightness . 100 people wrote relatively reasonable language that someone is right? Damn, maybe he does? A dozen or so anonymous commenters are delighted with the product we were considering purchasing? After all, they are probably ordinary internet users and they certainly have no interest in it.
We will not do anything about it
It is difficult to defend against such licks. Especially that they are published in an increasingly sophisticated way. In a moment, the English-language Internet will be attacked by a new wave of bots based on SI algorithms. You can, of course, start to adhere to the principle, do not trust anyone , but then entering most of the interaction with other Internet users begins to lose meaning.
Well, but no one expected a different scenario in which business and politics decide to completely ignore the most popular medium in the world and will not try to use it for their own purposes. You can also believe in unicorns.
Manipulation in social media will be more and more. Also in Poland
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