How To Spot Russian Trolls Online

San Francisco CA

Description

Social media is flooded with inspirational memes and messages. But have you ever thought about who is creating these messages? If not, Clemson University researchers suggest you start considering who is posting the content you share online and why. Many of these inspirational posts are part of the latest attempt from Russia to sow discord and discontent among Americans ahead of the 2020 presidential election, researchers say. Two researchers at Clemson — Darren Linvill, associate professor of communication, and Patrick Warren, associate professor of economics — have studied the strategy and tactics of professional trolls. The duo has looked at the methods of Russia’s former Internet Research Agency, which has been absorbed by the country’s Federal News Agency. “It's not a drunk teenager in the basement. It's really more like a Russian Don Draper,” Linvill says. “It's an ongoing guerrilla marketing campaign. These are professionals. They know what they're doing and they're really good at their job.” Americans shouldn’t count on the Department of Justice to stop Russian trolls, Warren says. People are starting to understand that they need to question whether the information they read on social media is true, but he says that’s not enough to stop trolls from gaining influence. To stop trolls from exploiting existing tensions in American society, he says people need to question why we’re seeing certain messages and the consequences of sharing them before hitting retweet. “I think that there's a lot that you can do,” Warren says. “If you're mindful of the origins of the information you're sharing, it can make a big difference.”