![]() ![]() ![]() “Default” usernames derived automatically from the account’s name, usually containing a partial first and last name followed by a string of numbers, i.e.No search history or history of being mentioned by other accounts on Twitter.Numerous recently created profiles, or accounts created in bulk around the same time (within a month of each other).Numerous accounts containing matching profile pictures.These accounts may also be identified contextually based on a variety of factors: replies, retweets, and likes) with known fictitious accounts.īot net accounts, on the other hand, engage in automated activity managed by a code script or software program, which coordinates activity across thousands of accounts with limited human intervention. Tweets phrased similarly to, or otherwise phrased exactly like, tweets made by other accounts.Twitter technically defaults the birthdate to the date in which the account was created, but January 1st is a common low-effort way of creating accounts en masse with little extra effort. Followers or following lists containing seemingly spammy accounts, or followers and following lists containing accounts far from the country where the main account was created.An account biography which contradicts other sections of the account, namely its tweets.Accounts operated directly by a human can be identified contextually based on a variety of factors, including: Regardless of whether an account’s activity is automated, each fake account is ultimately connected to an actual human operator or group of human operators, usually operating under a pseudonym. However, this process is the fundamental to addressing inorganic activity on Twitter. These networks systematically amplify hashtags and phrases in a variety of ways, and may often inorganically amplify trends which otherwise began organically, which further complicates the identification process. This natural momentum can be accelerated when public figures, activists, influencers, and major brands, many of whom have millions of followers, mention the trending topic or hashtag in their tweets.įake hashtags, on the other hand, trend inorganically: their growth is driven by either bot nets (automated accounts) or spam nets (manually controlled accounts), and may originate internally or externally from a variety of actors. When discussions on a particular subject converge and multiply, this subject will likely appear on Twitter’s trending list, ranked by popularity – that is, the frequency in which the phrase or hashtag is mentioned. Most of the time, phrases and hashtags trend organically when commentary on a particular subject converges in a natural way, by following the usual social pathways. In this article, journalists will learn how to assess and verify accounts involved in the dissemination of false hashtags and Twitter trends, and learn how to further verify accounts which share and retweet these false hashtags by using Hoaxy – a social media analysis tool developed by the Observatory on Social Media at Indiana University.īefore we start using this technology to verify trending topics, we need to know the difference between real trends and fake trends, whether hashtags or keywords. ![]() ![]() A 2018 BBC investigation even found that companies, including some in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, offer content manipulation services on platforms like Twitter for as low as $150, allowing various spammy hashtags and phrases to trend at the behest of automated accounts and concerted spam efforts. Many parties, including non-state actors, so-called “electronic armies” of ideological influencers, and even governments themselves, have an interest in manipulating content online. Trends on Twitter are not always accurate, however, and sometimes include false hashtags which may lead to false or misleading news reports as information disseminates at a rapid pace within the modern newsroom. Many journalists use Twitter to make editorial determinations, catering their coverage to what is perceived as popular – and analysis of “semantic similarity” between news reports has even revealed a link between what reporters see on their own Twitter feeds, and what coverage ultimately makes it to air or print. At first glance, the Trending list on Twitter seems to be a major criterion for the most important topics in circulation. ![]()
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