The recent election saw a variety of tactics being employed by those looking to sway voters one way or another. To get a better understanding of what was happening, one journalist decided to create several fake social media profiles, which he then used to monitor what was being posted and shared across various social platforms. These fake profiles were not part of any private group chats, so the information they provided wasn’t necessarily indicative of everything that was happening online, but they did offer some insight into the targeting tactics being used, and the types of content that were being recommended.
Interestingly, the profiles weren’t met by an overwhelming surge of AI-generated content. Instead, they were flooded with political posts from various individuals and groups, with algorithms amplifying these messages at times, and with some comments even containing hate speech directed at particular politicians. However, not all AI-generated content was negative or malicious in intent. In some cases, it was used for humor or parody, such as in a series of videos purportedly showcasing various politicians playing Minecraft.
One noticeable trend across social media platforms was the active presence of many users supporting the Reform UK party. Comment sections were filled with messages supporting this party, likely creating an illusion that they had garnered a lot of support. Investigating some suspected bot accounts, the journalist found that many of them were in fact run by real voters who were posting the same political message again and again. However, there were certainly some suspicious accounts as well, which were subsequently removed by the social media companies.
The issue of online manipulation, and the potential for foreign influence to be exerted over national elections, is one that concerns many people. Social media companies, such as TikTok, X, and Meta (which owns Instagram and Facebook), have invested in measures that they say aim to protect users from such manipulation. Nevertheless, such tactics did exist well before the last election, with similar situations having occurred in previous years.
Ultimately, it seems that the world is now in a state where social media is having a significant impact on all aspects of life, rather than it simply being a channel for campaigning during election periods. As such, the lack of clear solutions for problems posed by algorithms and misinformation tactics is a major issue, even if the fears surrounding AI-generated deepfakes turned out to be something of a distraction
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More