How You Can Fight Russia's Plans to Troll Americans During Campaign 2020

[Rambunctious]

How You Can Fight Russia's Plans to Troll Americans During Campaign 2020

Trump 2020 F

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Keep America weak?...you mean like Obama left it?.....no thanks...I will take the Trump America over Obamas any day......America first.....

 

[justoffal]

nother presidential election is approaching, which means Russian election interference is back in the news. Maybe you've already made up your mind about your favorite candidate, and so you're immune to the social media messaging being circulated by Russian trolls—right?

Not exactly. Russian trolls aren't only targeting behaviors, like pulling a voting lever. They're targeting beliefs, trying to stoke tribalism and polarization. Those who think they are immune to Russian tactics could become complacent, and feed right into Russian hands.

Here's a notional example: Suppose you and a neighbor agree that your property taxes are too high, but disagree on issues related to sensitive topics like race relations or immigration. You start seeing online memes focusing on extreme views on these topics. Those memes evoke strong reactions, painting the issue as a battle between two extremes. You begin thinking of your neighbor based on this false dichotomy. The neighbor becomes one of “them” rather than a person with whom you had some commonality. After all, it's difficult to agree on most anything when you and your neighbor view each other as racist or anti-American.

How You Can Fight Russia's Plans to Troll Americans During Campaign 2020

The goal of Russian interference is to trigger emotional reactions and drive people to ideological extremes, making it nearly impossible to build a consensus. But Americans are less likely to have their emotions manipulated if they are aware that manipulation is the goal.

www.rand.org

 

[justoffal]

nother presidential election is approaching, which means Russian election interference is back in the news. Maybe you've already made up your mind about your favorite candidate, and so you're immune to the social media messaging being circulated by Russian trolls—right?

Not exactly. Russian trolls aren't only targeting behaviors, like pulling a voting lever. They're targeting beliefs, trying to stoke tribalism and polarization. Those who think they are immune to Russian tactics could become complacent, and feed right into Russian hands.

Here's a notional example: Suppose you and a neighbor agree that your property taxes are too high, but disagree on issues related to sensitive topics like race relations or immigration. You start seeing online memes focusing on extreme views on these topics. Those memes evoke strong reactions, painting the issue as a battle between two extremes. You begin thinking of your neighbor based on this false dichotomy. The neighbor becomes one of “them” rather than a person with whom you had some commonality. After all, it's difficult to agree on most anything when you and your neighbor view each other as racist or anti-American.

How You Can Fight Russia's Plans to Troll Americans During Campaign 2020

The goal of Russian interference is to trigger emotional reactions and drive people to ideological extremes, making it nearly impossible to build a consensus. But Americans are less likely to have their emotions manipulated if they are aware that manipulation is the goal.

www.rand.org

Having people pass a basic IQ test before they have the right to vote might help. If the average mentality is so weak that it can be affected by social media interference we are already doomed.

Taking a few moments to digest what one is reading or hearing and filtering it against critical analysis in one's own mind will filter out 98 to 99% of the bullshit. If a large percentage of the voting populace is reachable by Russian trolls the effort to stave it off is meaningless.

Jo

 

[petro]

Regardless of any influence by media, other countries, or even yard signs, Americans have a right to vote for who the hell they want and should never listen to idiots who attempt to shame them to vote their way.
If Democrats can't put out a message that actually resonates with the people, they should work harder to understand the people they are trying to sway instead of demonizing them.
If so called Russian influence overwhelms that message, then Democrats have failed at that, which says more about them than any post by a Russian or Chinese troll.

I agree with you that “Americans” should have “a right to vote for who the hell they want to.” That of course also includes South Americans, Cubans, Bolivians, Chileans, etc. Uncle Sam doesn’t always agree with that simple proposition, especially if those “other Americans” decide to vote for socialists, or candidates who don’t toe the U.S. line.

I certainly agree that Democrats put out mixed messages, which do not resonate with many voters. Not surprising. Like Republicans, they are in the end just another “crony capitalist” party.

P.S.: I hope you are not referring to me as one of those “Russian or Chinese trolls.”

More like a general statement for the OP and the daryl hunts of the world. Who fail to realize as they keep putting up those career cronies, that many of us made up our minds for Trump because he was hated by both parties and was an outsider from the start. Hillary trolled her own campaign by trying to paint a significant portion of the population as beneath her, and that losing strategy is in full fever pitch to this day. No help was needed from the Russians as she effectively threw her chances in the trash heap.
Seriously, we were almost stuck with a Clinton or Bush dynasty. Now the Dems pick another career elitist in the form of Male, Pale and Stale Biden.