{"id":538203,"date":"2023-01-10T04:13:09","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T01:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/russian-2016-election-disinfo-did-nothing-but-drive-liberals-mad\/"},"modified":"2023-01-10T04:13:09","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T01:13:09","slug":"russian-2016-election-disinfo-did-nothing-but-drive-liberals-mad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/russian-2016-election-disinfo-did-nothing-but-drive-liberals-mad\/","title":{"rendered":"#Russian 2016 election disinfo did nothing but drive liberals mad"},"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-6a3bf04c5f79f\" 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-6a3bf04c5f79f\" 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\/russian-2016-election-disinfo-did-nothing-but-drive-liberals-mad\/#%E2%80%9CRussian_2016_election_disinfo_did_nothing_but_drive_liberals_mad%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Russian 2016 election disinfo did nothing but drive liberals mad&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CRussian_2016_election_disinfo_did_nothing_but_drive_liberals_mad%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Russian 2016 election disinfo did nothing but drive liberals mad&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>Not all conspiracy theories are created equal.<\/p>\n<p>The same people who pride themselves on rigorously insisting on the facts \u2014 ideally, explained in the dulcet tones of an NPR anchor \u2014 are h<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>y to embrace conspiracy theories supportive of their own worldview.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is why the idea that Russian disinformation on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> influenced or even decided the 2016 election has gained such purchase, even though <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-022-35576-9\">a new study finds<\/a>, unsurprisingly, no evidence for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The overwhelming focus on the Russian influence operation in the wake of 2016 was classic conspiratorial thinking \u2014 an unusual or unwelcome event, namely Donald Trump\u2019s shocking victory, was attributed to the machinations of a small, shadowy group of malefactors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This fevered notion fueled Democratic 2016 election denialism; catalyzed a federal investigation into Trump that was senseless and disruptive; created a cottage industry of supposed disinformation experts; pushed social-media companies into exercising rank political censorship in the name of fact-based content moderation; led to the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story; and distorted the work of the FBI, which made itself an adjunct of the progressive crusade against such supposedly pervasive and incredibly consequential disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>The consequences of all of this are still with us today. The panic over disinformation is the backdrop to many of the \u201cTwitter Files\u201d releases, which will be followed up with hearings by House Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>It always seemed unlikely that a challenge beyond the grasp of American politicos with endless resources and extensive knowledge of our political system \u2014 namely swaying an election based on some random, not-very-good social-media posts \u2014 would be easily within the grasp of clueless Russians wielding a bunch of trolls.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-167.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"In this Saturday, June 29, 2019 file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks to the media after the G-20 summit in Osaka, western Japan.\" class=\"wp-image-25300960\" width=\"618\" height=\"927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-167.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1236 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-167.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=927 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-167.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-167.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=309 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-167.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>Russian disinformation unsurprisingly didn\u2019t puppeteer Trump\u2019s win in 2016.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The new report, published by Nature Communications (affiliated with the famous journal Nature), is the product of years-long research led by the New York University Center for Social Media and Politics. For technical reasons, the study focuses on Twitter, although surely its findings are more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly applicable.<\/p>\n<p>It found that even though the scale of the Russian efforts sounds vast \u2014 an estimated 32 million Twitter users exposed to Russia-sponsored posts, egads! \u2014 their reach and measurable effect were negligible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to the report, which relied on a detailed survey of a subset of Twitter users, 1% of people on Twitter accounted for 70% of exposure to Russian tweets and 10% for 98% of exposure.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, this was not a widespread phenomenon. Indeed, the median exposure to Russian accounts the last month of the election was <em>zero<\/em> because overall exposure was so tiny.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-165.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"In this Nov. 8, 2016 file photo, a voter enters a booth at a polling place in Exeter, N.H. Tweets alone don\u2019t make it true.\" class=\"wp-image-25301011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-165.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-165.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-165.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Panic about disinformation is the reason for many of the \u201cTwitter Files\u201d to be released.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Elise Amendola, File<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As one might expect, the Russian accounts were \u201covershadowed \u2014 by at least an order of magnitude \u2014 by content from ordinary domestic political <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> media and US political candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Was the Russian disinfo carefully targeted for political effect? No. It turns out the Internet Research Agency, the outfit in charge of the bots, didn\u2019t know how to target American swing voters (maybe it\u2019s better at this when trying to influence local elections in Vladivostok).<\/p>\n<p>The Russian accounts were disproportionately seen by strong Republicans. These weren\u2019t people sitting on the fence about the election before seeing some crude anti-Hillary meme on social media and thinking, \u201cThat clinches it \u2014 now I can\u2019t vote for the Democrat I\u2019ve disdained for a couple decades after all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The study found, naturally, \u201cthe relationship between the number of posts from Russian foreign influence accounts that users are exposed to and voting for Donald Trump is near zero.\u201d Nor did Russian posts influence attitudes toward the issues or drive increased polarization.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It turns out random drivel produced by foreigners and thrown into the enormous maw of American social media doesn\u2019t have much effect.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If the report\u2019s findings were more politically convenient, they would by spread far and wide by traditional media outlets urging everyone to accept its conclusions as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the end, the biggest success of the Russian operation was driving a segment of American political opinion completely mad.<\/p>\n<p><em>Twitter: @RichLowry<\/em>\n                        <\/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 News 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\/2023\/01\/09\/russian-2016-election-disinfo-did-nothing-but-drive-liberals-mad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Russian 2016 election disinfo did nothing but drive liberals mad&#8221; Not all conspiracy theories are created equal. The same people who pride themselves on rigorously insisting on the facts \u2014 ideally, explained in the dulcet tones of an NPR anchor \u2014 are happy to embrace conspiracy theories supportive of their own worldview.\u00a0 This is why&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":538204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/russia-election-interference-index.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[138247,70855,32128,78320,4941,72944,40445,4975,4976,136745],"class_list":["post-538203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-1-9-23","tag-2016-presidential-election","tag-censorship","tag-disinformation","tag-donald-trump","tag-hillary-clinton","tag-media","tag-russia","tag-social-media","tag-twitter-files"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538203","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=538203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}