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So the topic isn't entirely unrelated. In fact there is some evidence out there that the story itself is being artificially amplified by Russian social media bo

So the topic isn't entirely unrelated. In fact there is some evidence out there that the story itself is being artificially amplified by Russian social media bot accounts. http://dashboard.securingdemocracy.org/ Updated on August 8, 4:28 PM The second story related to the firing of a Google employee who wrote an internal manifesto against diversity. In both cases, users amplified existing hashtags as well as mainstream news content. Influence operations aim to raise the profile of certain themes and issues, but they don't always create the content they amplify. This is likely the case with the Google story, which has been trending among far-right users. Russia frequently amplifies content related to the far-right in both the U.S. and in Europe, but it does so opportunistically. It's easier to amplify something people are already talking about than to create a trend out of thin air. Gamergate was similar. Right wing discord was amplified opportunistically. These are stories which reasonable shouldn't be more than a "blip" but by amplifying their importance it serves the Russian strategy. There are a number of strategic reasons that it benefits their aims. They sow chaos & discord. Make the fringe appear larger and more powerful than it is. Embolden & attract people who may have had "leanings" or agreed with smaller parts of it. It's a propaganda war. It is totally asymmetric and the USA is getting crushed by it. Recognizing that is important.

smsm42 9y ago
> the story itself is being artificially amplified by Russian social media bot accounts Any shit (or anything that looks like shit) about US would be amplified, because the idea they are pushing is "maybe it's crappy here, but you wouldn't believe how crappy it is over there". It's a very powerful and very successful strategy, they didn't invent it (pretty much every totalitarian regime has used it) but they are surely following it. > who wrote an internal manifesto against diversity Useful rule: anybody who writes "manifesto against diversity" didn't read it, doesn't know anything worthy of mention about it and should be completely ignored. > Right wing discord was amplified opportunistically. Every discord will be amplified opportunistically. That's what they do. The right thing to do is to ignore them. > These are stories which reasonable shouldn't be more than a "blip" but by amplifying their importance it serves the Russian strategy. Russians didn't make it a story. Google and MSM did. Also people throwing a fit because somebody published a thoughtcrime did. > They sow chaos & discord. They sow nothing. Nobody in US watches them. Nobody in US cares about them. Stop blaming Russians for what Americans do to themselves. > It's a propaganda war Maybe. But if it is, it is a propaganda civil war. > It is totally asymmetric and the USA is getting crushed by it. On the contrary, USA doesn't even notice it. The rating of any Russian media outlet in USA is zero. The only way anything gets to the eyes of the public if US media amplifies it - which now unfortunately they do quite a lot, because the stupid part of Democrats thinks that blowing up the Red Scare would help them topple Trump. And they don't care about the collateral damage. Absent that, the influence of Russian media on the US is zero point zero.

smsm42 9y ago

> the story itself is being artificially amplified by Russian social media bot accounts Any shit (or anything that looks like shit) about US would be amplified, because the idea they are pushing is "maybe it's crappy here, but you wouldn't believe how crappy it is over there". It's a very powerful and very successful strategy, they didn't invent it (pretty much every totalitarian regime has used it) but they are surely following it. > who wrote an internal manifesto against diversity Useful rule: anybody who writes "manifesto against diversity" didn't read it, doesn't know anything worthy of mention about it and should be completely ignored. > Right wing discord was amplified opportunistically. Every discord will be amplified opportunistically. That's what they do. The right thing to do is to ignore them. > These are stories which reasonable shouldn't be more than a "blip" but by amplifying their importance it serves the Russian strategy. Russians didn't make it a story. Google and MSM did. Also people throwing a fit because somebody published a thoughtcrime did. > They sow chaos & discord. They sow nothing. Nobody in US watches them. Nobody in US cares about them. Stop blaming Russians for what Americans do to themselves. > It's a propaganda war Maybe. But if it is, it is a propaganda civil war. > It is totally asymmetric and the USA is getting crushed by it. On the contrary, USA doesn't even notice it. The rating of any Russian media outlet in USA is zero. The only way anything gets to the eyes of the public if US media amplifies it - which now unfortunately they do quite a lot, because the stupid part of Democrats thinks that blowing up the Red Scare would help them topple Trump. And they don't care about the collateral damage. Absent that, the influence of Russian media on the US is zero point zero.