{"id":451348,"date":"2022-05-23T05:31:55","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T02:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/us-is-letting-its-people-be-radicalized-through-social-media\/"},"modified":"2022-05-23T05:31:55","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T02:31:55","slug":"us-is-letting-its-people-be-radicalized-through-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/us-is-letting-its-people-be-radicalized-through-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"#US is letting its people be radicalized through social media"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3641ded0995\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3641ded0995\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/us-is-letting-its-people-be-radicalized-through-social-media\/#%E2%80%9CUS_is_letting_its_people_be_radicalized_through_social_media%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;US is letting its people be radicalized through social media&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/us-is-letting-its-people-be-radicalized-through-social-media\/#Amy_of_spam_bots\" >Amy of spam bots\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/us-is-letting-its-people-be-radicalized-through-social-media\/#Picking_convenient_foes\" >Picking convenient foes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CUS_is_letting_its_people_be_radicalized_through_social_media%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;US is letting its people be radicalized through social media&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In the wake of the tragic shooting in Buffalo, much has been made of the role <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> has played in radicalizing the shooter and hosting his content. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.ny.gov\/news\/governor-hochul-announces-support-comprehensive-package-combat-rise-domestic-terrorism\">Gov. Hochul has directed an investigation<\/a> into the \u201cdanger of the online forums that spread and promote hate.\u201d T<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/infinite-scroll\/the-online-spaces-that-enable-mass-shooters\">he New Yorker went so far<\/a> as to claim that online spaces \u201cenable\u201d mass shooters. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/how-buffalo-shooting-proves-elon-musk-wrong-person-lead-twitter-n1295517\">MSNBC has grasped onto the shooting<\/a> as proof that Elon Musk shouldn\u2019t be able to buy Twitter, because he\u2019ll allow free speech without responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Can online radicalization directly facilitate offline behavior? That central question <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears less important than the politics interested parties can play with it, particularly as the conversation intentionally overlooks the role social media may have played in a shooting which occurred the day following the tragedy in Buffalo, at a Taiwanese church in Laguna Woods, Calif.<\/p>\n<p>David Chou, a naturalized American citizen born in Taiwan, was reportedly motivated by political hatred against Taiwan. After chaining the doors shut, disabling the locks with glue, and placing firebombs around the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, he attempted to mow down worshipers before being overcome and hogtied by parishioners.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One person was killed and five were wounded. Chou is now charged with first-degree murder.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"835\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING_.jpg?w=835\" alt=\"Suspect in the Laguna Woods church shooting David Chou, 68, of Las Vegas is shown in this police booking photo released by the Orange County Sheriff's Department on May 16, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-22370707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING_.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=835 835w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING_.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=418 417w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING_.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 835px) 100vw, 835px\"\/><figcaption>David Chou was arrested for shooing up the Laguna Woods Church in California.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Orange County Sheriff&#8217;s Department via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to reports, he was an avowed Chinese nationalist who vehemently opposed Taiwanese independence. His commitment to that cause seems as gripping as Buffalo shooting suspect Payton Gendron\u2019s descent into racism-fueled mental illness. But if we are going to claim that Gendron\u2019s shooting spree was influenced by the Internet, we should also examine the role China\u2019s manipulation of American social-media companies played in confirming Chou\u2019s worst instincts.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese state is well-versed in manipulating American social media toward its own propagandistic ends. The tentacle-like reach of China is often masked by the anonymity of accounts the Chinese government pays to set up, and the half-hearted efforts by the tech giants to control Chinese accounts or the influencers they pay.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Amy_of_spam_bots\"><\/span>Amy of spam bots\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 2021, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/12\/20\/technology\/china-facebook-twitter-influence-manipulation.html\">The New York Times reported<\/a> on state efforts by the Shanghai police to create hundreds of fake accounts on Twitter, Facebook and other social-media platforms. The contractor \u201cshould provide about 300 accounts per month on each platform,\u201d the notice read, and suggested that the accounts be used to quickly steer public discussion in a pro-China direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"703\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP20240587248794.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"In this July 21, 2020 file photo, a man opens social media app 'TikTok' on his cell phone, in Islamabad, Pakistan.\" class=\"wp-image-22370726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP20240587248794.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP20240587248794.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP20240587248794.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP20240587248794.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>China reportedly pays social media influences to spew anti-Western propaganda.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP\/Anjum Naveed<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Chinese government has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-tiktok-facebook-influencers-propaganda-81388bca676c560e02a1b493ea9d6760\">also been found to pay <\/a>social media influencers on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube to promote Chinese narratives and anti-Western ones. In some cases China has paid American firms hundreds of thousands of dollars to recruit social media influencers for them. Though social-media firms claim they address this problem by labeling these accounts as \u201cstate-funded media,\u201d an AP investigation concluded that the label was, at best, inconsistently applied.<\/p>\n<p>Accounts with ties to the Chinese government \u2014 both fake and real \u2014 push propaganda aimed at downplaying the genocide of the country\u2019s Uygher Muslim minority, promoting the Chinese Communist Party, accusing Hong Kong protesters of being backed by an \u201canti-Chinese-American conspiracy,\u201d attempting to diminish China\u2019s role in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and promoting China\u2019s supremacy over Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s influence on American social media, in other words, is far more prevalent than Big Tech companies often want to discuss. And if we are going to assume the Buffalo shooter was radicalized online, then shouldn\u2019t we also discuss how the unchecked whirlwind of Chinese propaganda may have played a role in Chou shooting up a Taiwanese church? It would certainly seem so.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP21307562231442.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Spectators wave Chinese flags as military vehicles carrying DF-41 ballistic missiles roll during a parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China in Beijing.\" class=\"wp-image-22370743\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP21307562231442.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP21307562231442.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP21307562231442.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP21307562231442.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Shanghai police have created hundreds of fake accounts on Twitter, Facebook and other social-media platforms, the New York Times reported last year.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP\/Mark Schiefelbein<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Picking_convenient_foes\"><\/span>Picking convenient foes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>But discussion of the latter remains mute. Tech companies continue to take a tepid approach to cracking down on China\u2019s state-run manipulation campaign, choosing instead to focus on combating countries like Russia, which maintain a much smaller influence. Social-media discussion of the Buffalo shooting, including circulation of the shooter\u2019s manifesto, is curtailed, while it does not appear that anti-Taiwanese bias is given any consideration.<\/p>\n<p>The reasoning here is as obvious as it is craven. For Democrats and elite media, fretting over the motivations of a pro-China shooter doesn\u2019t help their politics. And for tech companies, engaging in such a discussion would mean spotlighting the glaring and invasive problem of Chinese state propaganda on their platforms \u2014 an issue they could actually be doing more about.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/22\/us-is-letting-its-people-be-radicalized-through-social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;US is letting its people be radicalized through social media&#8221; In the wake of the tragic shooting in Buffalo, much has been made of the role social media has played in radicalizing the shooter and hosting his content. Gov. Hochul has directed an investigation into the \u201cdanger of the online forums that spread and promote&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":451349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/buffalo-2.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129183,129533,13096,4973,88643,88958,7342,4976,47912],"class_list":["post-451348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2022-buffalo-shooting","tag-5-22-22","tag-california","tag-china","tag-propaganda","tag-radicalism","tag-shootings","tag-social-media","tag-tiktok"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}