FALLING BEHIND: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ARE FAILING TO COMBAT INAUTHENTIC BEHAVIOUR ONLINE
FALLING BEHIND: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ARE FAILING TO COMBAT INAUTHENTIC BEHAVIOUR ONLINE

Author(s): Sebastian Bay, Rolf Fredheim
Contributor(s): Anna Reynolds (Editor)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Economy, Psychology, Media studies, Political Theory, Communication studies, Politics and communication, Behaviorism, ICT Information and Communications Technologies
Published by: NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
Keywords: Social media manipulation; Inauthentic behaviour online; Platform abuse; Online behaviour;
Summary/Abstract: From the 2014 invasion of Ukraine to more recent attempts to interfere in democratic elections, antagonists seeking to influence their adversaries have turned to social media manipulation. At the heart of this practice is a flourishing market dominated by Manipulation Service Providers (MSPs) based in Russia. Buyers range from individuals to companies to state-level actors. Typically, these service providers sell social media engagement in the form of comments, clicks, likes, and shares. Since its foundation, the NATO Strategic Communication Centre of Excellence in Riga has studied social media manipulation as an important and integral part of the influence campaigns malicious state and non-state actors direct against the Alliance and its partners.

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