influencer utube2 you

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">new 3/19 see main Youtube</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">see tiktok also instagram
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">alt rt has been good at capturing youtube and is hard to erradicate</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">nz shooter livestreamed the killing</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">grist 720</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><div class="article-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Educating” kids about fossil fuels is just one of many tactics the industry has used to get the public on its side. As Mother Jones reported this month, gas companies are now <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2020/06/gas-industry-influencers-stoves/" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(7, 96, 126); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none !important;">paying Instagram influencers</a> to post photos of them looking stylish next to their gas stoves with the hashtag #cookingwithgas. The “<a href="https://www.wytv.com/news/daybreak/nugget-of-knowledge-cooking-with-gas/" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(7, 96, 126); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none !important;">now you’re cooking with gas</a>” campaign has been going on since the 1930s, when the gas industry was trying to knock out its competition, wood and electric stoves.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now the industry is under threat again, this time by the rise of renewable energy and the growing public concerns about climate change and the role fossil fuels play in causing it. In California, 30 cities have <a href="https://grist.org/beacon/gas-stoves-a-relic-of-the-past/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(7, 96, 126); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none !important;">banned gas</a> in new building construction in a growing movement to “<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/to-cut-carbon-emissions-a-movement-grows-to-electrify-everything" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(7, 96, 126); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none !important;">electrify everything</a>,” threatening to make gas stoves obsolete.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The fossil fuel industry has learned a lot of PR tricks in the past century: making up <a href="https://grist.org/climate/how-the-oil-industry-pumped-americans-full-of-fake-news/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(7, 96, 126); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none !important;">fake news</a>, creating <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/jeremy-richardson/department-of-energy-releases-bogus-coal-study" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(7, 96, 126); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none !important;">bogus studies</a>, and bullying journalists into <a href="https://www.drillednews.com/post/the-mobil-oil-flack-who-brought-us-false-equivalence-advertorials-and-corporate-free-speech" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(7, 96, 126); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none !important;">overcorrecting their articles</a>. The practice of fabricating <a href="https://grist.org/article/how-the-fossil-fuel-industry-drums-up-grassroots-support/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(7, 96, 126); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none !important;">grassroots groups</a> to create the illusion of community support for a cause has become so common it has a name, “astroturfing.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.6; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Children are particularly susceptible to advertising, as any parent finds out when they reach the cereal aisle, and it seems like the fossil fuel industry is trying to hook them young. But as evidenced by the rise of the youth climate strikes sparked by Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old Swedish activist, the industry’s attempts to persuade them aren’t working as well as it hoped.</font></p></div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/conservative-journalist-caught-on-tape-pretending-to-board-up-a-business-for-instagram">https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/conservative-journalist-caught-on-tape-pretending-to-board-up-a-business-for-instagram</a></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 620</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As protests continue nationwide, some volunteers are coming together to <a title="" href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/6/2/1949837/--We-put-our-community-back-together-Volunteers-clean-up-damage-after-intense-protests" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">clean up and rebuild</a> areas affected by looting, arson, and vandalism. Worldwide, social media is being used to share images, resources, and views on the issues of racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement. Unfortunately, some people are using this time to gain social media popularity and pose as contributing to efforts to rebuild and care for the community.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A video of a woman in California pretending to help board up a store window went viral Monday after it was shared on Twitter. “This lady stopped someone boarding up a store in Santa Monica so she could hold the drill for a picture, then drove away. Please don’t do this,” <a title="" href="https://twitter.com/ewufortheloss/status/1267539200846389249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1267539200846389249&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.insider.com%2Fla-woman-backlash-posing-drill-protests-facts-with-fiona-moriarty-2020-6" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">the post read</a>. Commenters including a staff member from <em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The New York Times</em> identified the woman as Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, a writer for the conservative <span style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Washington Examiner</span>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the video, Moriarty-Mclaughlin can be seen taking a drill from a volunteer, posing with it to have her photo taken, then proceeding to run into her Mercedes-Benz. The video prompted extreme backlash, resulting in her deleting her social media account. Viewers are calling it an example of “performative activism,” a form of activism in which individuals post or pretend to support a cause in order to gain a following or make themselves look better to others. It’s a form of hypocrisy, because these people don’t actually care about the cause.</font></p></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/02/23/meet-anti-greta-young-youtuber-campaigning-against-climate-alarmism/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/02/23/meet-anti-greta-young-youtuber-campaigning-against-climate-alarmism/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx vid</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Climate and Environment</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The anti-Greta: A conservative think tank takes on the global phenomenon</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How a group allied with the Trump administration is paying a German teen to question established climate science.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Naomi Seibt poses for a portrait near her home in Munster, Germany. Seibt, 19, uses YouTube to denounce “climate alarmism,” countering the arguments of young climate activist Greta Thunberg.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Naomi Seibt poses for a portrait near her home in Munster, Germany. Seibt, 19, uses YouTube to denounce “climate alarmism,” countering the arguments of young climate activist Greta Thunberg. (Sebastien Van Malleghem for The Washington Post)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Desmond Butler and </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Juliet Eilperin </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Feb. 23, 2020 </font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">For climate skeptics, it’s hard to compete with the youthful appeal of global phenomenon Greta Thunberg. But one U.S. think tank hopes it’s found an answer: the anti-Greta.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Naomi Seibt is a 19-year-old German who, like Greta, is blond, eloquent and European. But Naomi denounces “climate alarmism,” calls climate consciousness “a despicably anti-human ideology,” and has even deployed Greta’s now famous “How dare you?” line to take on the mainstream German media.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“She’s a fantastic voice for free markets and for climate realism,” said James Taylor, director of the Arthur B. Robinson Center for Climate and Environmental Policy at the Heartland Institute, an<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> influential libertarian think tank in suburban Chicago that has the ear of the Trump administration</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In December, Heartland headlined Naomi at its forum at the UN climate conference in Madrid, where Taylor described her as “the star” of the show. Last month, Heartland hired Naomi as the young face of its campaign to question the scientific consensus that human activity is causing dangerous global warming.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“Naomi Seibt vs. Greta Thunberg: whom should we trust?” asked Heartland in a digital video</b>. Later this week, Naomi is set to make her American debut at the <b>Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC,</b> a high-profile annual gathering just outside Washington of right-leaning activists.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Heartland’s tactics amount to an acknowledgment that Greta has touched a nerve, especially among teens and young adults. Since launching her protest two years ago outside the Swedish parliament at age 15, Greta has sparked youth protests across the globe and in 2019 was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” the youngest to ever win the honor.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The teenager has called on the nations of the world to cut their total carbon output by at least half over the next decade, saying that if they don’t, “then there will be horrible consequences.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I want you to panic,” she told attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last year. “I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Naomi, for her part, argues that these predictions of dire consequences are exaggerated. In a video posted on Heartland’s website, she gazes into the camera and says, “I don’t want you to panic. I want you to think.</b>”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Graham Brookie directs the Digital Forensic Research Lab, an arm of the nonprofit Atlantic Council that works to identify and expose disinformation. While the campaign “is not outright disinformation,” Brookie said in an email, it “does bear resemblance to a <b>model we use called the 4d’s — dismiss the message, distort the facts, distract the audience, and express dismay at the whole thing.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Brookie added:<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> “The tactic is intended to create an equivalency in spokespeople and message.</span> In this case, it is a false equivalency between a message based in climate science that went viral organically and a message based in climate skepticism trying to catch up using paid promotion.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Naomi said her political activism was sparked a few years ago when she began asking questions in school about Germany’s liberal immigration policies. She said the backlash from teachers and other students hardened her skepticism about mainstream German thinking. More recently, she said that watching young people joining weekly “Fridays For Future” protests inspired by Greta helped spur her opposition to climate change activism.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“I get chills when I see those young people, especially at Fridays for Future. They are screaming and shouting and they’re generally terrified,” she said in an interview. “They don’t want the world to end.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Naomi said she does not dispute that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet, but she argues that many scientists and activists have overstated their impact.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“I don’t want to get people to stop believing in man-made climate change, not at all,” she said. “Are manmade CO2 emissions having that much impact on the climate? I think that’s ridiculous to believe.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Naomi argues that other factors, such as solar energy, play a role</b> — though the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth has actually declined since the 1970s, according to federal measurements. A slew of peer-reviewed reports, from scientific bodies in the U.S. and elsewhere, have concluded that greenhouse gas emissions are the dominant cause of warming since the mid-20th century, producing a range of devastating effects from massive marine die-offs in South America to severe wildfires in Australia and sinking ground in the Arctic.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In addition to climate change, Naomi echoes far-right skepticism about feminism and immigration. The German media have described her as sympathetic to the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD), the biggest opposition party in parliament, whose leaders have spoken of fighting “an invasion of foreigners.” Naomi says she is not a member of AfD — she describes herself as libertarian — but acknowledges speaking at a recent AfD even</span>t.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Her path to Heartland began in November with a speech at EIKE, a Munich think tank whose vice president is a prominent AfD politician. </b>By then, Naomi was already active on YouTube, producing videos on topics ranging from migration to feminism to climate change. In the audience was Heartland’s Taylor. He said he immediately recognized her potential and approached her about working with Heartland.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Founded in 1984 and funded largely by anonymous donors, Heartland has increasingly focused on climate change over the past decade. Its staff and researchers enjoy ready access to the Trump administration, and one of its senior fellows, William Happer, served as a senior director on the White House National Security Council between September 2018 and 2019.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">An emeritus professor of physics at Princeton University, Happer has repeatedly argued that carbon emissions should be viewed as beneficial to society — not a pollutant that drives global warming. During his time with the Trump administration, he sought to enlist Heartland’s help in promoting his ideas and objected to a U.S. intelligence official’s finding that climate impacts could be “possibly catastrophic,” according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Why would an American think tank want to get involved in German politics? Because it worries that Berlin’s strong stance on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions could be contagious, according to a recent investigation aired on German television.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For two decades, Germany has been a leader in pressing other nations to curb carbon output and shift to renewable energy. Though it is falling short of its ambitious goals, Germany has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions this year by 40 percent compared to 1990 — and by up to 95 percent by mid-century.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In December, during the Madrid climate conference, two undercover staffers from the nonprofit investigative newsroom CORRECTIV approached Taylor and claimed to work for a wealthy donor from the auto industry who wanted to give Heartland a half-million euros. Taylor took the bait, and followed up with a three-page proposal outlining a campaign to push back against German efforts to regulate emissions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“These restrictive environmental programs are largely unnecessary,” says the document, a copy of which was obtained by The Post. “Worse, other nations — including the United States and European Union nations — are increasingly being influenced by unwise German policy.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The proposal described Naomi as “the star” of a “Climate Reality Forum” organized by Heartland during the Madrid talks. With “over 100,000 people viewing her talk on climate realism,” the proposal said, Naomi was well-positioned to fight German climate policies.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Funding for our Germany Environmental Issues project will enable Heartland to provide Naomi with the equipment and the sources she needs to present a series of effective videos calling attention to the negative impacts of overreaching environmental regulations,” the proposal says.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CORRECTIV aired its report on Heartland earlier this month on German TV. Taylor dismissed the report, saying, “Heck, I would have spoken with them if they told us who they were, and the answers would have been pretty much the same.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The investigators filmed Naomi at a public event, posing as would-be donors. She struck back with her own video response. Invoking Greta, she said, “To the media, I have a few last words: How dare you?"</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Greta Thunberg confronts world leaders at the U.N. climatre summit: 'How dare you?'</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Despite echoes of Greta’s style, Naomi has objected to the comparison.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The reason I don’t like the term anti-Greta is that it suggests I myself am an indoctrinated puppet, I guess, for the other side,” she says in one video. Asked if she meant that as a criticism of Greta, Naomi says: “That sounds kind of mean, actually.” She added: “I don’t want to shame her in any way.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Taylor said the tendency to associate Naomi with Greta is “kind of natural” — and benefits Heartland’s message.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“To the extent that Naomi is pretty much the same, just with a different perspective, yeah, I think that it’s good that people will look at the two as similar in many ways,” he said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Still, Naomi has a long climb to reach the level of global attention lavished on Greta. While Greta measures her social media following in the millions, Naomi counts slightly under 50,000 YouTube subscribers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Through her spokespeople, Greta declined to comment.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><a href="https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2020/02/20/youtube-promoting-kochs-climate-change-denial-network"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2020/02/20/youtube-promoting-kochs-climate-change-denial-network</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><article class="post-8052 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail category-climate category-democracy category-environment category-featured-investigations category-koch category-news entry" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-spacing: 3.6px;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: inherit; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 1048.09px;"><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">You</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Tube’s two billion monthly users are being subjected to climate change denial, even after its parent company, Google, committed to fighting harmful misinformation about science.</span></font></p><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A report published by the nonprofit activist network Avaaz details the wide reach of this climate disinformation and points to dozens of companies and even multiple environmental organizations that advertise on videos that deny the existence of manmade climate change. Money from these ads goes to the videos’ creators, incentivizing the production of climate disinformation</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></p><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">YouTube’s algorithms promote videos that feature climate change denial, most prominently by way of its “Up Next” feature. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Seventy percent of the time users spend on YouTube is driven by the company’s recommendations. Climate misinformation content pops up in YouTube searches for the terms “global warming,” “climate change,” and “climate manipulation.”</span></font></p><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Of the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">four egregious anti-climate science videos analyzed in depth by Avaaz, three feature men who are, or have been, part of the <a href="https://www.exposedbycmd.org/climate/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">climate change denial</a> network spearheaded by billionaire oil magnate Charles Koch. This Koch network, which includes think tanks such as the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Heritage Foundation</span>, the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Property and Environment Research Center</span>, and the <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=CO2_Coalition" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>CO2 Coalition</b></a>, has been the subject of much reporting, but its reach into YouTube, the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">preferred platform</a> for U.S. teenagers, has been less thoroughly examined.</span></font></p><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">M</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ultiple videos highlighted by Avaaz were created by <a href="https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2020/01/16/right-wing-prageru-triples-revenue-two-years/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">PragerU</span></span></a>, a right-wing content producer that publishes disinformation on an array of topics including climate science, racism, and free-market capitalism and is funded by the 501(c)(3) <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Prager University Foundation</span></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. The group itself has not received direct donations from Koch’s family foundations in the past several years, but it has gotten money from </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">DonorsTrust</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, a donor-advised fund sponsor used by Koch to disperse donations (over $55,000 since 2017), and larger amounts from foundations run by Koch network donors the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Wilks brothers</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> (close to $3.3 million from two family foundations since 2015), and from Koch network donors the </span><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Lynde_and_Harry_Bradley_Foundation" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background: 0px 0px; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">Bradley Foundation</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and </span><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bradley_Impact_Fund" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background: 0px 0px; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">Bradley Impact Fund </a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">(nearly $1.1 million since 2015).</span></font></p><h2 class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“No significant warming in the 21st century”</font></span></h2><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PragerU’s video, “What They Haven’t Told You about Climate Change,” features a climate change denier who is affiliated with Koch-funded think tanks. <b>Patrick Moore,</b> who has been an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200207210210/https://www.heartland.org/about-us/who-we-are/patrick-moore" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">energy and climate adviser</a> at the <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">Heartland Institute</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150904171309/http://co2coalition.org/about/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">chairman of the board</a> of the CO2 Coalition, <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">falsely</a> claims in the video that there has been “no significant warming in the 21st century.”</font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Heartland Institute, which once received funding from ExxonMobil and the American Petroleum Institute, hasn’t gotten direct donations from Koch’s family foundations in recent years, but DonorsTrust and sister nonprofit <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Donors Capital Fund</span> combined to give the institute over $10.6 million from 2014-18. The <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mercer_Family_Foundation" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">family foundation</a> of billionaire GOP mega-donor <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_Mercer" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">Robert Mercer</a> gave close to $2.6 million during that time period, and other Koch network donors such as the <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ed_Uihlein_Family_Foundation" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">Ed Uihlein Family Foundation</a> ($354,000), the Bradley Impact Fund ($211,000), and the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Searle Freedom Trust</span> ($150,000) also contributed.</font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers</span>, a lobbying group for oil makers including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Koch Industries, donated $75,000 to the Heartland Institute in 2017. Two executives of Flint Hills Resources, a subsidiary of Koch Industries that produces oil and petrochemicals, are members of the group’s <a href="https://www2.afpm.org/forms/committee/CommitteeFormPublic/view?id=FBF00000030" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">board</a>.</font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Heartland Institute’s climate disinformation campaign does not stop at the U.S. border. A new investigation by the European investigative nonprofit Correctiv reveals that the Heartland Institute is <a href="https://correctiv.org/en/top-stories-en/2020/02/11/the-heartland-lobby/?utm_campaign=Carbon" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">supporting climate change deniers in Germany</a> and is working with a YouTube personality affiliated with the far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland.</font></p><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">CO2 Coalition </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">received over $50,000 from the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Charles Koch Foundation</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> and the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Charles Koch Institute</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> from 2016-18. Three other Koch network foundations have contributed larger sums since 2016: the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Sarah Scaife Foundation</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> ($417,000), the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Mercer Family Foundation</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> ($320,000), and the </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Thomas W. Smith Foundation</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> ($175,000).</span></font></p><h2 class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">U.N. climate models “flawed by design”</font></span></h2><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Patrick Michaels, previously the longtime director of the libertarian <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Cato Institute’</span>s Center for the Study of Science, is currently a <a href="https://cei.org/content/pat-michaels-joins-cei-senior-fellow" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">senior fellow</a> at the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)</span>, where he focuses on climate at its Center for Energy and Environment. Cato <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/05/us-think-tank-shuts-down-prominent-center-challenged-climate-science" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">shuttered</a> its Center for the Study of Science in May 2019 after Michaels left. According to Michaels, “They informed me that they didn’t think their vision of a think tank was in the science business.”</font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a clip from a Fox News interview, titled on YouTube as “The truth about global warming,” Michaels claims that all but one of the United Nations’ 32 climate models are “flawed by design to vastly over-predict warming,” a statement Avaaz says is misinformation.</font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The <b>Cato Institute</b>, which was co-founded by Charles Koch and had the late David Koch on its board of directors, is funded by numerous Koch network donors, including the two Koch foundations, which gave $9.3 million from 2014-18. Since 2014, Cato’s donors include:</font></p><ul class="ul1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Adolph Coors Foundation: $300,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Atlas Economic Research Foundation: $111,545</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bradley Impact Fund: $521,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Charles Koch Foundation: $9,084,937</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Charles Koch Institute : $240,450</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donors Capital Fund: $655,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DonorsTrust: $4,579,150</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dunn Foundation: $2,250,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">F.M. Kirby Foundation: $82,500</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">John William Pope Foundation: $270,175</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation: $1,125,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mercer Family Foundation: $1,200,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pierre F. and Enid Goodrich Foundation: $220,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sarah Scaife Foundation: $515,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Searle Freedom Trust: $1,410,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thomas D. Klingenstein Fund: $20,422</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thomas W. Smith Foundation: $20,000</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">William H. Donner Foundation: $85,000</font></li></ul><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">two Koch foundations gave CEI $288,000 from 2014-17. DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund combined to give nearly $3.9 million to CEI since 2014, and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation, and the Searle Freedom Trust have all contributed over $1 million since then.</span></font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers gave $95,000 to CEI from 2015-17, and another industry trade group, the <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">American Petroleum Institute</span>, has donated $70,000 to CEI since 2015.</font></p><h2 class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“No evidence that CO2 emissions are the dominant factor” in climate change</font></span></h2><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Another PragerU video, “Climate Change: What Do Scientists Say?” features <a href="https://www.cato.org/people/richard-lindzen" style="background-image: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">Richard Lindzen</a>, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">a former senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for the Study of Science. Lindzen claims, “There is no evidence that CO2 emissions are the dominant factor [in climate change],” which is decidedly </span><a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background: 0px 0px; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">false</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2017, <b>Lindzen </b>wrote a letter to Trump urging him to back out of the Paris Climate Agreement, claiming that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. Twenty-two current and former faculty members at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Lindzen had been a professor, then <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06032017/climate-change-denial-scientists-richard-lindzen-mit-donald-trump" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">wrote to the president</a> to make it clear they did not share Lindzen’s views.</font></p><h2 class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Advertisers</font></span></h2><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">vaaz found over 100 advertisers on climate disinformation videos. Many are major brands such as Samsung, L’Oréal, Decathlon, Danone, Warner Bros. One in five ads came from green or ethical brands including Greenpeace International, WWF and Save the Children. A number of the advertisers told Avaaz that they were unaware their ads were running on these videos and financially supporting their creators.</span></font></p><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">To </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">stem the spread of falsehoods and misinformation around climate change, Avaaz recommends that YouTube:</span></font></p><ul class="ul1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Detox the YouTube algorithm” by ending its “free promotion of misinformation and disinformation videos.”</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Demonetize disinformation” by including disinformation and misinformation in YouTube’s monetization policies so that advertisers cannot advertise on such videos and content creators can’t make money from them.</font></li><li class="li1" style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: initial; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Correct the record” by using fact-checkers to let users know when they’ve watched false or misleading videos and issue corrections along with them.</font></li></ul><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Avaaz believes that YouTube has the opportunity to be a trailblazer in the fight against misinformation…” reads the report. “Now is the time for YouTube to act more systematically and more urgently to implement solutions, like the recommendations described above, to ensure this new decade is not plagued by the disinformation problems started in the last one.”</font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Similarly, advertisers must both ensure that they follow through on their own corporate social responsibility commitments and track what kind of content their advertising revenue is inadvertently funding.”</font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">YouTube says that to combat misinformation, it removes content that violates the company’s Community Guidelines. However, false information doesn’t violate the guidelines unless it includes hate speech or harassment, incites violence, or is a scam.</font></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The following statement from a YouTube spokesperson to CMD explains other ways it attempts to reduce the spread of misinformation:</font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; margin: 40px;"><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">We can’t speak to Avaaz’s methodology or results, and our recommendations systems are not designed to filter or demote videos or channels based on specific perspectives. We’ve significantly invested in <a href="https://youtube.googleblog.com/2019/01/continuing-our-work-to-improve.html" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">reducing</a> recommendations of borderline content and harmful misinformation, and <a href="https://youtube.googleblog.com/2019/12/the-four-rs-of-responsibility-raise-and-reduce.html?m=1" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">raising up</a> authoritative voices on YouTube. In 2019 alone, the consumption on authoritative news publishers’ channels <a href="https://youtube.googleblog.com/2019/12/the-four-rs-of-responsibility-raise-and-reduce.html" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">grew</a> by 60%. As our systems appear to have done in the majority of cases in this report, we prioritize authoritative voices for millions of news and information queries, and surface information panels on topics prone to misinformation–including climate change–to provide users with context alongside their content. We continue to expand these efforts to more topics and countries.</font></p></blockquote></div><footer class="entry-footer" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit;"><p class="entry-meta" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;" /></footer></article><div class="author-box" style="box-sizing: inherit; border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left; padding: 20px 10px; width: 1048.09px; word-spacing: 3.6px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
<div class="author-info-wrap" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline-block; float: left; max-width: 75%; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px;"><div class="author-name" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><h3 style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">About Alex Kotch</font></span></h3></div><div class="author-description" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alex is an investigative reporter based in Brooklyn, New York, and a contributor for the Center for Media and Democracy. A campaign finance expert, Alex helped launch money-in-politics website Sludge, and his work has been published by more than two dozen media outlets including International Business Times, The American Prospect, The Nation and Vice.com.</font></p></div><div class="author-link" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="https://www.exposedbycmd.org/author/alex-kotch/" style="box-sizing: inherit; background: 0px 0px; transition: all 500ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none;">All articles by Alex Kotch</a></font></div><div class="author-link" style="box-sizing: inherit;"></div></div></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90464712/michael-bloomberg-wanted-ironic-internet-cred-but-he-wont-like-these-anti-bloomberg-memes" style="font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.fastcompany.com/90464712/michael-bloomberg-wanted-ironic-internet-cred-but-he-wont-like-these-anti-bloomberg-memes</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[his co does data, hired a wicked smart pol op team, 100's of offices kpfa]</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/13/how-mike-bloombergs-meme-blitz-was-engineered-to-go-viral.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/13/how-mike-bloombergs-meme-blitz-was-engineered-to-go-viral.html</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign is taking a page out of President Donald Trump’s book</b> and trying to meet voters where they are. In this case, in the Instagram posts of accounts like “TrashCanPaul” or “SheadSteve.”</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>A slew of popular Instagram accounts <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/13/mike-bloomberg-pays-influencers-to-post-memes-for-2020-campaign.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">unleashed a blitz</a> of sponsored Bloomberg posts on Wednesday in the form of satirical messages between the Democratic candidate and the various account holders asking for help promoting his campaign.</b></font></p><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="BoxInline-container " style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 300px; margin: auto;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></div></span><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Can you make a viral meme to let the younger demographic know I’m the cool candidate?” one on the @sonny5ideup account reads. <b>Some of the posts refer to the sponsored nature of the posts (i.e. “yes this is really #sponsored” by the Bloomberg campaign).</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="group" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.66; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-left: calc((((100% - 180px) / 7) * 1 + 30px) * 1); -webkit-box-flex: 0; flex-grow: 0; flex-shrink: 0; min-width: auto; max-width: 100%;"><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The stunt drew widespread and immediate attention. A post on one of <b>Jerry Media’</b>s popular accounts, @FJerry, had drawn nearly 384,000 likes by Thursday afternoon, while Mike Bloomberg’s Instagram account had <a href="https://socialblade.com/instagram/user/mikebloomberg" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">drawn more than 47,000 new followers</a> on Thursday -- the first time that daily growth figure had topped 7,000 this month, according to social media analytics site Social Blade.</font></font></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Bloomberg’s campaign has been playing in new spaces to reach younger consumers. The candidate’s <a href="https://socialblade.com/instagram/user/mikebloomberg" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">Twitter</a> account made waves last month during a Democratic debate with a <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/01/14/meatball-mike-bloomberg-has-a-weird-night-on-twitter-during-democratic-debate/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">slew of “weird” posts</a>, like one reading “SPOT THE MEATBALL THAT LOOKS LIKE MIKE” with a photo of Bloomberg’s face transposed onto a meatball</span>. The Daily Beast also recently <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/mike-bloomberg-is-paying-influencers-to-make-him-seem-cool-9?ref=author" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">reported</a> that his campaign had been pitching to “micro-influencers” with between 1,000 to 100,000 followers to create sponsored content.</font></font></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As traditional TV is losing dominance, it makes sense for candidates to try and reach potential voters where they are. As Trump’s campaign found a receptive audience on <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=TWTR" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">Facebook</a> in 2016, this is Bloomberg’s way of finding its audiences and trying to speak their language -- in this case on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.</font></font></font></p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div id="MidResponsive-8" class="" data-module="mps-slot" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: sticky; margin: 0px auto;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div></span></font></font></font><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“While a meme strategy may be new to presidential politics, we’re betting it will be an effective component to reach people where they are and compete with President Trump’s powerful digital operation,” a Bloomberg spokesperson told CNBC.</font></font></p></div><h2 class="ArticleBody-subtitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 105.703px; -webkit-box-flex: 0; flex-grow: 0; flex-shrink: 0; min-width: auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How it all came together</font></h2><div class="group" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.66; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-left: calc((((100% - 180px) / 7) * 1 + 30px) * 1); -webkit-box-flex: 0; flex-grow: 0; flex-shrink: 0; min-width: auto; max-width: 100%;"><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Bloomberg campaign worked with Meme 2020, a project formed by people running influential accounts.</font></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Doing Things Media, an Atlanta-based company that owns and operates 20 viral accounts including @animalsdoingthings, @nochaser and @neatdad, was one of the groups posting the memes. </span><b>The company said it was connected to the effort by Meme 2020 lead strategist Mike Purzycki of Jerry Media,</b> which runs other popular accounts like @FJerry and @Kanye<b>doingthings.</b></font></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-right: 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Doing Things CEO and co-founder Reid Hailey said his company’s accounts now have a combined 50 million followers since starting about three years ago. Hailey had started his own account, <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">@SheadSteve, and grew it to a million followers in less than a year, he said. Twelve of the company’s pages ran Bloomberg memes, Reid said....</span></font></font></p></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/be-honest-passionate-and-be-yourself-bloomberg-is-paying-social-media-influencers-to-post-fake-messages-to-make-him-look-cool" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/be-honest-passionate-and-be-yourself-bloomberg-is-paying-social-media-influencers-to-post-fake-messages-to-make-him-look-cool</font></a></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>‘Be honest, passionate and be yourself!’: Bloomberg is paying social media influencers to post fake messages to make him look ‘cool’</b></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Igor Derysh February 14, 2020</font></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/be-honest-passionate-and-be-yourself-bloomberg-is-paying-social-media-influencers-to-post-fake-messages-to-make-him-look-cool"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/be-honest-passionate-and-be-yourself-bloomberg-is-paying-social-media-influencers-to-post-fake-messages-to-make-him-look-cool</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>‘Be honest, passionate and be yourself!’: Bloomberg is paying social media influencers to post fake messages to make him look ‘cool’</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Igor Derysh February 14, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s campaign is paying social media influencers and a social media firm to flood Instagram with fake messages purportedly sent by the billionaire.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Bloomberg’s campaign is offering social media influencers a fixed $150 fee to create content that “tells us why Mike Bloomberg is the electable candidate who can rise above the fray, work across the aisle so ALL Americans feel heard & respected,” The Daily Beast reported last week.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The campaign is using Tribe, a “branded content marketplace” that allows brands to reach “micro-influencers” with 1,000 to 100,000 Instagram followers.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Are you sick of the chaos & infighting overshadowing the issues that matter most to us? Please <b>express your thoughts verbally or for still image posts please overlay text about why you support Mike,” </b>the campaign’s Tribe page said. “<b>Show+Tell why Mike is the candidate who can change our country for the better, state why YOU think he’s a great candidate.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Be honest, passionate and be yourself!” the paid listing urges.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Bloomberg has also contracted Meme 2020, a new company that houses some of Instagram’s most-followed accounts, The New York Times reported Thursday. The company is headed by Mick Purzycki, the head of Jerry Media, a social media marketing firm that came under fire last year for reportedly stealing memes without crediting creators.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Some accounts affiliated with Purzycki’s companies have already posted memes promoting Bloomberg. All the memes are fake direct message exchanges in which Bloomberg purportedly reached out to influencers to “make me look cool.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>All the posts reviewed by The Times included disclosures that they are ads. “Yes this is really #sponsored by @mikebloomberg,” one account said.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">George Resch, a director of influencer marketing at Brandfire who created the popular @Tank.Sinatra account, told The Times that the ads are successful because they fool people into believing they are real.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“It’s the most successful ad that I’ve ever posted and I think a lot of it came from people being confused whether or not it was real,” he said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bloomberg’s campaign acknowledged the arrangement on Thursday.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Mike Bloomberg 2020 has teamed up with social creators to collaborate with the campaign, including the meme world,” spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told The Times. “While a meme strategy may be new to presidential politics, we’re betting it will be an effective component to reach people where they are and compete with President Trump’s powerful digital operation.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The report added that the campaign also hired Eric Kuhn, who dubbed himself Hollywood’s first “social media agent,” to help with their outreach efforts.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A campaign aide argued that the strategy could be a foil to Trump’s reach on social media.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“We’re trying to be innovative with how we’re translating the campaign message on social, trying to do it how the internet actually works. Tweeting from @mikebloomberg is a very 2008 strategy,” an aide told The Times. “The way Trump’s campaign is run is extremely social first. We’re trying to break the mold in how the Democratic Party works with marketing, communication and advertising, and do it in a way that’s extremely internet and <b>social native.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bloomberg’s campaign also tried to steal the thunder during last month’s Democratic debate by posting ironic memes poking fun at the billionaire.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The social media strategy is part of Bloomberg’s plan to try to hijack the Democratic primary by flooding media with ads.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Bloomberg has spent $31 million on Facebook and Instagram ads since January 1, according to Facebook data, and has averaged $1 million per day in Facebook ad spending over the last two weeks. Bloomberg also spent $10 million to air an ad during the Super Bowl and has spent more than $350 million total on advertising, according to CNN. Aside from fellow billionaire Tom Steyer, no other candidate has spent more than $37 million on ads.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>But while Bloomberg’s attempt to flood the country with television and radio ads appears to be paying off in the polls, the campaign’s social media strategy could backfire.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The paid memes quickly became a point of mockery on social media. Some Twitter users posted parody memes of the Bloomberg direct messages, taking aim at his racist policing policies during his time as mayor and his unbridled ad spending in the Democratic primary.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Fat Jew, a popular Instagram account with more than 11 million followers that has also come under fire for stealing memes, said he was also asked to participate but refused.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They asked me to do it, I said no,” he wrote. “I grew up n New York City so I can tell you firsthand, Bloomberg is a colossal sh*tbag. From the subjugation of minorities through stop and frisk policies to his hardline anti-marijuana stance.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Social media platform TikTok is <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=9d22158b6a7dd323d9a69fba1a6590ee0d220edf9c6c55ba143edf28eaf80bc0c7bb85a3b1d8fe9140e9afc4768e3bd158016c4f590e71bb" title="hosting multiple videos" style="">hosting multiple videos</a> that spread misinformation and falsehoods about the coronavirus, despite a policy change concerning misinformation that the platform announced earlier this month. The videos have hundreds of thousands of views combined, and there even appears to be an auto search suggestion leading to some of these videos.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i><b>Also:</b></i> Fox News <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=9d22158b6a7dd323fefafa2897c5f6bf8784ea8b56460e669534fb7757b5ebc328066550aaf9e2bea7ac5fbefade1bd8783d272a8cdec1b7" title="cited a viral video" style="">cited a viral video</a> about the coronavirus that was entirely unsourced. The video was originally posted to Twitter by an account known for spreading unverified information in breaking news environments.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i><b>Stay informed:</b></i> BuzzFeed News has gathered a good list of <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click.e.mediamatters.org/?qs=9d22158b6a7dd32386fc3d7be69fd1419ae5b1e74522023934f5309d252bafe3acb2c54e9ef6dc232d9a0b405de7df06f57a3ce076ff177e" title="coronavirus disinformation" style="">coronavirus disinformation</a> spreading on social media.</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><p style="line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Silicon Valley likes to talk up its efforts to crack down on the misinformation being spread across its platforms, but as DeSmog’s Dana Drugmand reported this week, global activist NGO Avaaz has found Google-owned <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="https://desmogblog.cmail20.com/t/t-l-njklity-mgoiuir-y/" style="line-height: inherit; transition: opacity 0.1s ease-in 0s;"><strong style="line-height: inherit;">YouTube selling ads</strong></a> from major brands like Samsung and environmental groups like Greenpeace on videos promoting climate science denialism.</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">You might have heard that the Trump administration recently targeted the U.S.’s landmark environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act, and proposed new rules to weaken its protections. Guess who’s applauding the move? <a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="https://desmogblog.cmail20.com/t/t-l-njklity-mgoiuir-j/" style="line-height: inherit; transition: opacity 0.1s ease-in 0s;"><strong style="line-height: inherit;">Supporters of the fossil fuel industry.</strong></a></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In case you missed it, actors Joaquin Phoenix and Martin Sheen were arrested last week at Jane Fonda’s last Fire Drill Friday protest for climate action on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. <strong style="line-height: inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="https://desmogblog.cmail20.com/t/t-l-njklity-mgoiuir-t/" style="line-height: inherit; transition: opacity 0.1s ease-in 0s;">Check out Zach Roberts’ photos of the rally and arrests</a>.</strong></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: <a rel="nofollow" ymailto="mailto:editor@desmogblog.com" target="blank" href="mailto:editor@desmogblog.com" style="line-height: inherit; transition: opacity 0.1s ease-in 0s;"><strong style="line-height: inherit;">editor@desmogblog.com</strong></a>. </font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong style="line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thanks,<br style="line-height: inherit;" />Brendan DeMelle<br style="line-height: inherit;" />Executive Director</font></strong></p></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/on-tv-political-ads-are-regulated-but-online-anything-goes/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/11/on-tv-political-ads-are-regulated-but-online-anything-goes/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx many</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>On TV, political ads are regulated – but online, anything goes</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by The Conversation November 23, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With the 2020 election just a year away, Facebook is under fire from presidential candidates, lawmakers, civil rights groups and even its own employees to provide more transparency on political ads and potentially stop running them altogether.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Meanwhile, Twitter has announced that it will not allow any political ads on its platform.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Modern-day online ads use sophisticated tools to promote political agendas with a high degree of specificity.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I have closely studied how information propagates through social channels and its impact on political messaging and advertising.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Looking back at the history of mass media and political ads in the national narrative, I think it’s important to focus on how TV advertising, which is monitored by the FCC, differs fundamentally with the world of social media.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The birth of political ads</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Eisenhower was one of the first politicians to use TV as a medium to spread his message to the American public.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 1952, Eisenhower met with Rosser Reeves, an American ad executive, to discuss how to use this relatively new medium. They created 20- to 30-second slots to run during prime-time, called “Eisenhower Answers America.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These ads helped usher in how political campaigns would use new broadcast media to campaign.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">An ‘Eisenhower Answers America’ ad.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">TV ads were also used in the campaigns of Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon in the 1960s to shock viewers into going to the polls by catering to their fears of a world that might exist should their opponent win.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Over time, TV ads became more negative and critical of opponents’ ideology and positions. For example, in the late 1980s, George H.W. Bush attacked Michael Dukakis on his prison furlough program giving weekend passes to convicted criminals. They used convicted felon Willie Horton to provide added emphasis and provoke fear-mongering.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Willie Horton ad.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">From TV to Twitter</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To understand how effective their ads have been, TV advertisers use measures of reach and frequency of views. These measures are based on a general understanding of the type of viewers that might be watching a given channel, show and time slot.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, it’s hard to understand a given ad’s effectiveness in driving voters, especially as modern TV audiences migrate to video on demand and other streaming platforms.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In other words, TV political advertising today might provide highly skewed results based on demographics. That’s because the people who still watch live broadcast TV tend to be older than the average American.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With the advent of the web, political messaging went online. First, there were websites focusing on the campaign; then, videos on platforms like YouTube to show support for candidates; and now, political ads use social networks to campaign, create community and raise money.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Unlike TV, social networks offer the ability to hyper-target individuals by characteristics like geography, age and interests. They provide real-time measurable outcomes while rapidly disseminating political messages.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There is also the issue of cost. For example, a 30-second advertisement during the popular TV show “This is Us” cost about US$434,000 last year. Facebook political ads can run for a fraction of that cost and be much more effective at reaching specific audiences, due to targeting.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With a plethora of data on what drives people to click, share or pledge money, modern-day political strategists can now understand what messages help reinforce their base and slowly percolate them into the consciousness of those who might be swayed.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hyper-targeting and tailoring messaging for individual users can reinforce a person’s deeply held beliefs. It also contributes to the spread of disinformation. This is a more fundamental issue than simply focusing on whether an ad is truthful or not.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The regulation gap</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of the other big differences between social network political ads and TV ads is the impact of regulation.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">TV is regulated by the FCC, while social networks are self-regulated.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The FCC was established by Franklin Roosevelt with the assumption that the airwaves belonged to the people. With the growing popularity of TV in the 1950s, the FCC regulated obscene and indecent material. It also set out to ensure there would be balance and truth associated with political messaging.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FCC regulations stipulate that broadcasters must allow any qualified candidates for political office the opportunity to purchase an equal amount of advertising time at the lowest unit charge.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In addition, regulations required transparency from political groups running the ads, which includes mentioning in the ad the name of the group purchasing the commercial time, and whether the advertisement is part of the candidate’s campaign efforts, or if another political action group paid for the spot.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In contrast, without regulation, political ads on social networks can hide behind a cloak of secrecy. The Federal Elections Commission does provide guidance on advertising and disclaimers on any public communication made by a political committee – requiring, for example, statements such as “My name is [Candidate Name]. I am running for [office sought], and I approved this message.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, Katherine Haenschen, an assistant professor of communication at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, found that Google and Facebook often requested and received exemptions from requiring advertisers to include standard disclaimers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Facebook recently decided on its own to require disclosures from advertisers when they purchased political ads, including the organization’s government-issued identification number.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, social networks like Facebook will have a difficult time providing complete transparency on why members might be seeing a particular political ad. Financially, it is not in their best interest to do so. This is reflected in the company’s recent stance toward several petitions against posting false political ads on the network.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What the future holds</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I think the future of political ads on social networks involves greater levels of checks and balances.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In my view, the networks’ efforts on self-regulation and transparency are steps in the right direction.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Senators Amy Klobuchar, Lindsey Graham and Mark Warner have proposed the Honest Ads Act, which would force online political advertising to adhere to the same stipulations as political ads on TV.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Independent media outlets, like ProPublica, are also taking steps to inform the public about the power of targeted political messaging.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, the size and scope of the problem of political disinformation and hyper-targeting in social networks still needs to be addressed. This is simply too powerful for political campaigns and political operatives not to exploit. I fear that it will invariably lead to greater manipulation of public opinion in the runup to the 2020 campaign.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[ Like what you’ve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter. ]The Conversation</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ari Lightman, Professor of Digital Media and Marketing, Carnegie Mellon University</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/how-pro-trump-memes-mirror-the-frightening-ways-nazi-propagandists-got-their-message-to-the-people/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/how-pro-trump-memes-mirror-the-frightening-ways-nazi-propagandists-got-their-message-to-the-people/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How pro-Trump memes mirror the frightening ways Nazi propagandists got their message to the people</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Christopher Brauchli / Common Dreams October 27, 2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">150</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[A]fter the final destruction of the Nazi tyranny, they hope to see established a peace. . . which will afford assurance that all the men in all the lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">—Atlantic Charter issued August 14, 1941</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It was all in good fun  It took place for Trump supporters the weekend of October 14, 2019, at the Trump National Doral Miami.  That was the Trump-owned resort that was to be the site of the G-7 meeting in 2020, until it wasn’t. It had been selected by Trump for the meeting of the G7 because, as Mick Mulvaney, Acting Chief of Staff explained: “Trump still considers himself to be in the hospitality business.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The event was organized by American Priority, a group that pretends to promote free speech.  It was attended by, among others, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Donald Trump Jr.  In a room adjacent to the main ballroom at the hotel, a video that was produced by an anonymous person operating under the name of: “The GeekzTeam” was shown on a revolving loop. The video includes the logo for the trump 2020 campaign.  According to the New York Times‘s description of the video,  Mr. Trump’s head is superimposed on the body of a man entering the “<b>Church of Fake News. ” As he walks down the aisle he stops, pulls out a gun, and opens fire on parishioners who have the faces of his critics, or the logos of media organizations superimposed on their bodies. Among his victims are “Black Lives Matter”, and “Vice News.</b>” He continues walking down the aisle and as he approaches the alter, he is shown striking John McCain in the back of the neck, hitting Rosie O’Donnell in the face, and then stabbing  her in the head. He sets fire to Bernie Sanders’ hair. The video ends with Trump standing on the church altar and admiring the victims of his violent behavior.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Reports suggest that there are many similar memes, as they are known, available on the internet, all depicting violent acts against critics of trump.  The Trump himself tweeted a video in which he participates in a wrestling match and body slams and beats up the CNN logo.  That tweet went viral among his supporters.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although lacking internet, the Nazis knew the value of film in order to get their message to the people<b>.  In 1930 the party established a film department. In Mein Kampf  Hitler wrote that: “The picture, in all its forms, including the film, has better prospects.  In a much shorter time, at one stroke I might say, people will understand a pictorial presentation of something which it would take them a long and laborious effort of reading to understand.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 1932, Hans Traub, a Nazi propagandist,  said that film is a “formidable means of propaganda.” Explaining its importance he said that: “Achieving propagandistic influence has always demanded a ‘language’ which forms a memorable and passionate plot with a simple narrative. . . . the most effective is the moving picture. . . . it has  an unimaginable richness of rhythm for intensifying or dispelling emotions.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Discussing films made in Nazi Germany, “Facing History and Ourselves” observes that although many films were made to glorify the Nazis, others were made to “dehumanize, criminalize, and demonize vulnerable minorities-particularly Jews.” The Trump and his supporters know how that works.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Noel King of NPR conducted an interview of Taika Waititi, the director of the movie, “Jojo Rabbit” on October 18, 2019, the date the movie was released.  The movie is a satire of Nazi Germany,  and is about a 10-year old boy named Jojo  Rabbit. Jojo is in the Hitler Youth Movement and he wants to be the best Nazi he can be. In the film Jojo says  “I swear to devote all my energies and my strength to the <b>savior of our country, Adolf Hitler.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NPR interview concludes with a lengthy commentary from Mr. Waititi, that is especially timely in today’s world.  “So we think we live in the safety of 2019?  Yes, we don’t have to worry about Hitler and his retribution on us for making jokes about him.  [But} I mean, this film shouldn’t really need to be made.  In 2019 do I really need to make a film with the heart of the message being, you shouldn’t be a Nazi.  At the end of  World War II, there was a very clear and simple law.  If you’re a Nazi, you go to jail because there’s no room in this world for you and those ideas. Now, sadly, in America and other places, the law now is, if you’re a Nazi feel free to go down to the town square and have a little rally because we’ve got this thing called freedom of speech. And you can sort of say what you want, and you’re protected by that.  It’s become very twisted. And if anyone says [about this movie] “oh, well, another World War II film-we get it.  That was 80 years ago.” Well, we obviously don’t get it-because we’re getting dangerously close to this sort of thing happening again.  And we’re living in a world where there are world leaders who are very happy to promote hate and intolerance and ideas that were prevalent in the ’30s.'”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Waititi got that right.  Think Orban, Assad, Duterte, Putin, Xi, el Sisi, Erdogan, and, Trump, the spoiled, petulant, mendacious occupant of the White House, to name just a few. It’s frightening.</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>indirect press suppress:</b></font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/the-social-media-giant-pays-a-tiny-legal-fine-for-falsifying-video-data-that-news-media-relied-on-to-strategize/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/10/the-social-media-giant-pays-a-tiny-legal-fine-for-falsifying-video-data-that-news-media-relied-on-to-strategize/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">error in metrics?</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The average viewership metrics were not inflated by only 60%-80%; they were inflated by some 150 to 900%,” an amended complaint stated.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The result of this “error,” willful or not, was that dozens of news sites shifted their editorial strategies to encompass more video content, particularly on Facebook. Often, this came at the <b>detriment of print journalism, both in editors and writers</b></span><b>.</b> <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“We don’t really know how much damage was done ultimately to the industry — we can sort of see it in terms of the number of lay-offs and things like that — but it’s clearly by any stretch of the imagination it’s clearly a drop-in-the-bucket, it’s pocket change, to an outfit like Facebook</span>,” <b>John Stanton, co-founder of the Save Journalism Project, told Salon in an interview. Stanton, a former BuzzFeed journalist, was laid off around the time that Facebook’s ad metrics fraud was in effect.</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Facebook has continued to argue that the contrived metrics were an innocent mistake.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 17px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">919 rww</font></div><div><section style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><div class="mce-content-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">YouTube has undone actions taken against two far-right YouTube accounts and one white nationalist YouTube account after banning those accounts earlier this week.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right Wing Watch <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/youtube-shutters-several-white-nationalist-accounts/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">reported</a> on Monday that YouTube had removed at least four YouTube channels that produced white nationalist and racist content from its platform, including channels used by The Right Stuff, American Identity Movement (formerly Identity Evropa), VDARE, and James Allsup. On Tuesday night, VDARE tweeted that its YouTube channel had been reinstated.</font></p><twitter-widget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" id="twitter-widget-0" data-tweet-id="1166546197647110144" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><div data-twitter-event-id="0" class="SandboxRoot env-bp-350" style="max-height: 10000px; direction: ltr; background: 0px 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.4; white-space: initial; position: relative;"><div class="EmbeddedTweet EmbeddedTweet--cta js-clickToOpenTarget" data-click-to-open-target="https://twitter.com/jaredlholt/status/1166546197647110144" data-iframe-title="Twitter Tweet" data-scribe="page:tweet" id="twitter-widget-0" lang="en" data-twitter-event-id="1" style="overflow: hidden; cursor: pointer; border: 1px solid rgb(225, 232, 237); border-radius: 5px; max-width: 520px;"><div class="EmbeddedTweet-tweetContainer"><div class="EmbeddedTweet-tweet" style="padding: 20px 20px 10px;"><blockquote class="Tweet h-entry js-tweetIdInfo subject expanded" cite="https://twitter.com/jaredlholt/status/1166546197647110144" data-tweet-id="1166546197647110144" data-scribe="section:subject" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; border: none;"><div class="Tweet-header" style="display: flex;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">after banning the white nationalist publication VDARE from YouTube yesterday, YouTube appears to have reversed course.</font></span></div><div class="Tweet-body e-entry-content" data-scribe="component:tweet" style="margin-top: 13px;"><p class="Tweet-text e-entry-title" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; border: none; white-space: pre-wrap; cursor: text; overflow-wrap: break-word; direction: ltr;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">
VDARE announced that their YouTube channel is back online tonight.</font></p><p class="Tweet-text e-entry-title" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; border: none; white-space: pre-wrap; cursor: text; overflow-wrap: break-word; direction: ltr;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">[twt]</font></p><p class="Tweet-text e-entry-title" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; border: none; white-space: pre-wrap; cursor: text; overflow-wrap: break-word; direction: ltr;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">
</font></p><p class="Tweet-text e-entry-title" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; border: none; white-space: pre-wrap; cursor: text; overflow-wrap: break-word; direction: ltr;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">We asked YouTube for comment via email on its reinstatement of VDARE TV on Wednesday, but we did not receive a response.</font></p></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></twitter-widget><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yesterday, Boing Boing <a href="https://boingboing.net/2019/08/29/youtube-reinstated-these-extre.html" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">noted</a> that YouTube reinstated two other far-right YouTube channels, “The Iconoclast” and a channel used by far-right activist <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/16/christchurch-shooters-links-to-austrian-far-right-more-extensive-than-thought" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Martin Sellner</a>, and that YouTube told reporters it made the “<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/youtube-martin-sellner-ban-reinstated" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">wrong call</a>” when it decided to remove those channels but failed to elaborate further. BuzzFeed <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/youtube-martin-sellner-ban-reinstated" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">reports</a>:</font></p><blockquote style="background: rgb(239, 243, 243); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; hyphens: none; padding: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0.75em 2em;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">YouTube’s reactivation of Sellner’s channel comes two months after the video platform joined with Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter to make a commitment they called the “Christchurch Call to Action”. YouTube and the other tech companies said they were committed to “fight the hatred and extremism that lead to terrorist violence.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The Iconoclast has more than 200,000 subscribers on YouTube. In an interview with Defend Europa last year, the YouTuber spoke extensively about the white nationalist conspiracy theory of “ethnic replacement.” He describes himself as a “British nationalist” who is “anti-mass migration.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The decision comes a few days after YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki posted her quarterly letter to YouTube creators, which talked about how the company sometimes would leave up “controversial or even offensive” videos.</font></p></blockquote><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After Buzzfeed published its story, YouTube spokesperson Farshad Shadloo <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/youtube-martin-sellner-ban-reinstated" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">released</a> a statement, claiming that although “many may find the viewpoints expressed in these channels deeply offensive,“ that YouTube had “determined the videos on their channels do not violate our Community Guidelines and so the channels were reinstated.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yesterday, Motherboard <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/59nge8/infowars-returns-to-youtube-after-ceo-said-it-will-allow-offensive-content" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">reported</a> that YouTube had briefly reinstated and then re-banned the Infowars show “War Room” from its platform. Infowars was banned across nearly all tech platforms last year after we <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/spotify-hosts-infowars-podcasts-despite-clear-rule-breaking/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">documented</a> the numerous blatant violations of community guidelines committed regularly by Infowars personalities on social media platforms.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">YouTube has shown itself to be particularly susceptible to pressure campaigns organized by the far-right. Last year, the site apologized and <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/youtube-retracts-strikes-from-stefan-molyneuxs-account/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">retracted strikes</a> against far-right “philosopher” Stefan Molyneux’s YouTube account after he urged his fans to contact YouTube on his behalf.</font></p><div class="at-below-post addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/youtube-reverses-course-apologizes-to-far-right-channels-unbans-them/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; line-height: 1.5;"><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em;"><div class="tags" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; border-top: 5px solid rgb(239, 243, 243); margin-bottom: 2em; padding-top: 1em;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; font-weight: 700;">Tags:</span> <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/social-media/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">social media</a> <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/identity-evropa/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Identity Evropa</a> <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/the-right-stuff/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">The Right Stuff</a> <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/vdare/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">VDARE</a> <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/youtube/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">YouTube</a></font></p></div></div></div></div></div></section></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">819 i srch ggl astra taylor what is democ; my next  Utube rec'd [tho notmally OST music] indep inst BS on AGW w/ Soon and ----</font></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">new 819</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/08/trumps-biggest-facebook-supporter-is-a-chinese-cult-hoping-for-the-apocalypse/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/08/trumps-biggest-facebook-supporter-is-a-chinese-cult-hoping-for-the-apocalypse/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Trump’s biggest Facebook supporter is a Chinese cult hoping for the apocalypse</b></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Mark Sumner / Daily Kos<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>August 20, 2019</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is not the death cult you expected. While Donald Trump may regularly count on the support of people who believe that supporting Israel means making sure that every Jewish citizen of that state is handy to be either converted or slaughtered in the any-day-now End Times, this is another group of religious fanatics counting on Trump to fulfill their world (and atheist) -destroying dreams. Until recently, the contents of website The Epoch Times have been so out there, so beyond the pizzagate conspiracy theories of <b>Gateway Pundit and the black helicopter lizard men of Infowars</b>, that it’s been regarded as too odd to be considered part of the right-wing “mainstream.” No more. Under Trump, all bets are off. And a group that’s willing to top the online spending of Democratic candidates to express its support for Trump is definitely welcome in the fold … even if they do want him for his finger on the nuclear trigger.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It’s easy to understand why any group looking for an apocalypse might look to Trump as just the man for the job. But not every cult manages to spend more on Facebook than presidential campaigns. </span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The leaders of the group that is counting on Trump to begin the “Last Havoc” have now spent more than $1.5 million to buy 11,000 pro-Trump spots on social media. </b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In April alone, </span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">those ads netted 3 billion views, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">making this foreign-backed group one of the top video creators on the Internet and a major player in American politics.</span></b></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As NBC News reports, The Epoch Times may look like just another online conspiracy site belonging to another small cult of slavish Trump followers itchin’ for some good old-fashioned smiting from above. But this “small New York-based nonprofit” is actually controlled by Falun Gong, a Chinese religious group aiming to both bring down Beijing and democracy while cheering for the end of all things. If on the surface they look like another fundamentalist site attacking science, reason, and “humanists,” it’s because they are.</font></div></div></div><div><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">OMfG</font></p><p><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/08/how-youtube-radicalized-brazil/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.alternet.org/2019/08/how-youtube-radicalized-brazil/</font></a></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>How YouTube radicalized Brazil</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Nancy LeTourneau / Washington Monthly<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>August 14, 2019</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Max Fisher and Amanda Taub have spent two years researching and reporting on the internet’s role as a force for radicalization. But as Fisher said on Twitter, nothing has disturbed him more than their recent story about how YouTube radicalized Brazil.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Most of us have been exposed to the fact that individuals like the El Paso shooter were engaged with white supremacists in online forums. We’ve heard about how people like Steve Bannon used Cambridge Analytica to psychographically target young white men with racial messages. But Fisher and Taub decided to ask a different question.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Wherever we looked, the rate and consequences of online radicalization seemed far beyond what we’d anticipated, and were growing fast. So, in January, we decided to ask the question in a different way: Could the consequences of online radicalization go beyond a few extremists and, in ways that might be less obvious but perhaps just as consequential, radicalize large swaths of an entire society?</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That is what led them to travel to Brazil.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Brazil’s politics have experienced a sudden, world-shaking shift, with Jair Bolsonaro, the once-fringe, far-right politician, becoming president this year. Years of political corruption crises had undoubtedly played a role. But something else was clearly happening there.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">And Brazil is the second-largest market for YouTube, after the United States. YouTube has not received as much scrutiny as, say, Facebook. But experts say the platform has the power to radicalize people and communities in ways we are only beginning to understand.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here is what they found that was so disturbing.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Members of the nation’s newly empowered far right — from grass-roots organizers to federal lawmakers — say their movement would not have risen so far, so fast, without YouTube’s recommendation engine.</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">New research has found they may be correct. YouTube’s search and recommendation system appears to have systematically diverted users to far-right and conspiracy channels in Brazil.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A New York Times investigation in Brazil found that, time and again, videos promoted by the site have upended central elements of daily life.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Teachers describe classrooms made unruly by <b>students</b> who quote from YouTube conspiracy videos or who, encouraged by right-wing YouTube stars, secretly record their instructors.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Some parents look to “Dr. YouTube” for health advice but get dangerous misinformation instead, hampering the nation’s efforts to fight diseases like Zika. Viral videos have incited death threats against public health advocates.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>And in politics, a wave of right-wing YouTube stars ran for office alongside Mr. Bolsonaro, some winning by historic margins. Most still use the platform, governing the world’s fourth-largest democracy through internet-honed trolling and provocation.</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Renan Santos, the national coordinator of a group that used YouTube videos to agitate for the 2016 impeachment of the left-wing President Dilma Rousseff, made a chilling statement: “Reality is shaped by whatever message goes most viral.”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Monday I wrote about how <b>tyranny takes hold via a process of malignant normalcy</b>. Here is how Dr. John Gartner explained the process.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Malignant normality is when a malignantly narcissistic leader takes control of society and gradually changes reality for everyone else. So their crazy internal reality becomes enacted in the lived true external reality of that society. This is how a leader can come in and change the mores of their society.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">What Fisher and Taub found in Brazil is that social media platforms like YouTube can advance malignant normalcy in their quest to maximize watchtime (i.e. make money).</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the wake of the El Paso shooting, Beto O’Rourke wrote an opinion column for CNN titled, “It’s America’s Moment of Truth.” This is the portion that caught my eye.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When President Donald Trump describes Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and “bringing crime,” or refers to undocumented immigrants as individuals who “infest our country” — he speaks not as America’s President but as an emissary of hate. And his vilification and fear-mongering connect with those who are open to receiving it.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The seeds of terror we saw that August day are transmitted day and night on Fox News, the most watched cable news channel in the country. They are amplified by right-wing websites like Breitbart, and in messages forced onto local news broadcasts by Sinclair Media.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>They metastasize on Facebook. And they filter up from grotesque online havens for white supremacists who preach intolerance and worship violence.</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What O’Rourke just described are the<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> forces that have aligned to make a profit off of hate—gaining either political power or money, perhaps even both. </span>As O’Rourke said, our moment of truth has arrived. Silence is complicity.</font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/07/30/youtube-video-suggestion-algorithm-climate-science-denial-study"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/07/30/youtube-video-suggestion-algorithm-climate-science-denial-study</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx vid</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Back in 2015, if you’d searched YouTube for information about climate change, the videos offered up might have left you with a warped sense of the state of climate science and the degree of scientific certainty that people are heating the world’s climate, a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Communication suggests.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That year was, at the time, the worst year on record for U.S. wildfires, including California’s Butte fire, which burned 900 buildings. It was the year when Pope Francis issued an encyclical urging rich countries to ward off climate change. And, for the first time in over 800,000 years, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere crossed 400 parts per million on average in 2015.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>It was also a year when YouTube’s video recommendation algorithm —</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> which has become central to controversies over the rise of white supremacism and far-right extremism online — served up an unusually high number of videos in response to climate-related keywords that fell outside of the scientific consensus on climate, the new study concludes.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“Searching YouTube for climate-science and climate-engineering-related terms finds fewer than half of the videos represent mainstream scientific views,”</b> study author Dr. Joachim Allgaier, senior researcher at the RWTH Aachen University in Germany said in a statement about his findings.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“It’s alarming to find that the majority of videos propagate conspiracy theories about climate science and technology,” he added.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Misinformation researcher John Cook developed the Fact-Myth-Fallacy framework for battling myths about climate science and other topics.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Letting Nonsense Flourish</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That pattern developed as YouTube rose to new heights of popularity, both in the U.S. and worldwide. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults, and 94 percent of 18 to 24 year-olds, report watching YouTube — and <b>one-fifth of Americans described YouTube as “very important” for “understanding things happening in the world,” according to a November 2018 Pew Research Center study.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">YouTube, where videos are generally less than 15 minutes long, relies heavily on keeping viewers watching longer with its “Up Next” sidebar — a feature responsible for over 70 percent of the time people spend on the site. That makes the selection of recommended videos, chosen by a proprietary algorithm, both important and — when it comes to factual information — very politically charged.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“The massive ‘library,’ generated by users with little editorial oversight, is bound to have untrue nonsense,” Bloomberg’s Mark Bergen explained in an April investigation into YouTube’s internal decision-making. “Instead, YouTube’s problem is that it <b>allows the nonsense to flourish. And, in some cases, through its powerful artificial intelligence system, it even provides the fuel that lets it spread.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">YouTube’s recommendations, created by that algorithm, have had profound cultural impacts and have been cited as factors in the rise of the anti-vax movement opposing childhood vaccination, the spreading of white supremacist ideology, and<b> even a surge in the number of flat Earthers.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When it comes to climate change, YouTube has also amplified views that fall outside of the scientific consensus, the new research shows.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">'Straightforward Conspiracy Theories'</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The study examined a group of 200 YouTube videos and compared them against the scientific consensus on climate change, using the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) stance as a benchmark.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The 200 videos reflected the results of searching for 10 different keywords related to climate change, using the online anonymization service Tor to prevent prior views from influencing the search results. Most of the searches were conducted in 2015.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Unexpectedly, the majority of the videos in the sample (107 videos) supports worldviews that are opposing scientific consensus views: 16 videos deny anthropogenic climate change and 91 videos in the sample propagate straightforward conspiracy theories about climate engineering and climate change,” the study concluded.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Those outside-of-the-mainstream videos attracted virtually the same number of views as the videos presenting information that was scientifically grounded, the study adds, noting that out of the roughly 34 million views attributed to those 200 videos, those supporting mainstream climate science positions racked up just 2,294 more views than those opposed.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[Screen shots of climate science denial videos on YouTube.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“The way YouTube search algorithms work is not very transparent,” Allgaier continued. “We should be aware this powerful artificial intelligence is already making decisions for us, for example, if you choose to use ‘auto-play.'”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The search terms used in the study included not only “climate,” “climate change,” and “global warming,” but also “chemtrails” and “climate hacking,” which the study described as “terms that are often used by opponents of mainstream science.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In some cases, conspiracy theorists advised their followers to adopt scientific language to make it harder for listeners to identify them as representing fringe views, the study said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“From their point of view this strategy also has the advantage that ‘chemtrailers’ can now jump on the bandwagon when there are actual scientific discussions and events addressing technical options of artificial climate modification or manipulation,” Allgaier wrote.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DeSmog has previously covered the ways that YouTube and its algorithm have <b>benefitted</b> climate science denial.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Despite the clear errors, the video has gathered <b>more views than any other climate science denial clip on YouTube,</b>” Graham Readfearn reported in February, describing a <b>PragerU video by Canadian lobbyist and fossil fuels advocate Patrick Moore t</b>hat claims there has been “no significant warming trend” in this century. “A search on YouTube for the most viewed “climate change” videos has Moore’s effort ranked 13th — searching for “global warming” has it ranked 19th. But where the problems really start, are when YouTube’s 'up next' algorithm takes a guess at what you might want to watch next after seeing Moore’s video.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Noted climate science denier Steven Goddard (a pseudonym for Tony Heller) was not pleased with YouTube's changes to fight misinformation on climate change.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">YouTube has defended itself in numerous controversies surrounding its video recommendations by citing the principle of freedom of speech. It also recently said that it will also make some effort to promote more credible videos.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Over the last year we’ve worked to better surface credible news sources across our site for people searching for news-related topics,” a YouTube spokesperson told The Guardian, “begun reducing recommendations of borderline content and videos that could misinform users in harmful ways, and introduced information panels to help give users more sources where they can fact-check information for themselves.”</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">some lnx</font></div><div><p style="margin: 1em 0px; font-family: " open="open" sans="sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Back in 2015, if you’d searched YouTube for information about climate change, the videos offered up might have left you with a warped sense of the state of climate science and the degree of scientific certainty that people are heating the world’s climate, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2019.00036/full" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">a new study published</a> in the journal Frontiers in Communication suggests.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; font-family: " open="open" sans="sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That year was, at the time, <a href="https://earthsky.org/earth/2015-worst-us-wildfire-year-on-record" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">the worst year</a> on record for <span class="caps" style="">U.S.</span> wildfires, including California’s Butte fire, which <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/fires/article74496267.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">burned 900 buildings</a>. It was the year when Pope Francis <a href="https://unfccc.int/news/pope-francis-releases-encyclical-on-climate-and-environment" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">issued</a> an encyclical urging rich countries to ward off climate change. And, for the first time in over 800,000 years, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/11/november-11-2015-the-last-day-of/417378/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">crossed</a> 400 parts per million on average in 2015.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; font-family: " open="open" sans="sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It was also a year when YouTube’s video recommendation algorithm — which has become central to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-04-02/youtube-executives-ignored-warnings-letting-toxic-videos-run-rampant" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">controversies</a> over the rise of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/business/youtube-remove-extremist-videos.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">white supremacism</a> and <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-youtube-pulled-these-men-down-a-vortex-of-far-right-hate" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">far-right extremism</a> online — served up an unusually high number of videos in response to climate-related keywords that fell outside of the scientific consensus on climate, the new study concludes.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; font-family: " open="open" sans="sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="dquo" style="margin-left: 0px;">“</span>Searching YouTube for climate-science and climate-engineering-related terms finds fewer than half of the videos represent mainstream scientific views,” study author Dr. Joachim Allgaier, senior researcher at the <span class="caps" style="">RWTH</span> Aachen University in Germany said in <a href="https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/climate-deniers-dominate-youtube-climate-modification-videos" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">a statement</a> about his findings.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; font-family: " open="open" sans="sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="dquo" style="margin-left: 0px;">“</span>It’s alarming to find that the majority of videos propagate conspiracy theories about climate science and technology,” he added.</font></p></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></b></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">incubator:</font></b></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/alex-jones/infowars-paul-joseph-watson-launching-new-project-generate-next-generation-youtubers"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.mediamatters.org/alex-jones/infowars-paul-joseph-watson-launching-new-project-generate-next-generation-youtubers</font></a></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Far-right conspiracy theorist and Infowars personality Paul Joseph Watson announced the launch “probably within the next two weeks” of a new project that aims to “generate the next generation of YouTubers, of young political commentators.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While appearing on Infowars program <em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal;">The Alex Jones Show </em>on March 5, Watson <a href="https://www.infowars.com/watch/?video=5c802b7a96f802002664d975" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">said</a> that his project will still involve “working together” with Infowars and that the two entities are “still going to be affiliated.” While host Alex Jones and <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/youtube-pulls-newswars-infowars/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">many</a> of his <a href="https://www.brighteon.com/5826131788001" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">primary</a> Infowars channels are banned from YouTube, Watson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCittVh8imKanO_5KohzDbpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">currently maintains</a> a YouTube page with more than 1.5 million subscribers.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During Watson’s appearance, Jones said that he had been working with Watson for 18-19 years and that he was “excited” about the new project, saying, “That’s what successful operations do is they spawn new things, and I think in time you will also spawn apprentices as well.” Attempting to dismiss speculation of <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/alex-jones-protege-paul-joseph-watson-is-about-to-steal-his-crackpot-crown" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">infighting</a> between Jones and Watson, Jones said that the project was “pretty much my idea.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Watson described his project as “an exciting new operation, it’s going to be where all my material is housed, and hopefully longer term we’re going to get more writers on board and organically grow it into a larger news org,” adding that he is “hoping to, you know, generate the next generation of YouTubers, of young political commentators.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>While for a time Watson was best known for being a conspiracy theorist and source of <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/06/05/infowars-paul-joseph-watson-can-t-get-anything-right/215506" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">sometimes hilariously incorrect information</a>, his commentary has taken a darker turn in recent years</b>.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> In a 2018 <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/alex-jones-protege-paul-joseph-watson-is-about-to-steal-his-crackpot-crown" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">interview</a> with The Daily Beast, Alex Jones’ ex-wife Kelly Jones said of Infowars, “They’ve transmogrified into little white supremacists which is alarming crap,” and “Paul’s white supremacy is growing -- I know it’s a difficult issue, this refugee crisis -- but they are actively encouraging white supremacy.” <b>Indeed, months before the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, VA, Watson <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/08/14/right-wing-media-provided-home-white-supremacist-he-organized-charlottesville-rally/217616" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">interviewed</a> the event’s organizer, Jason Kessler, about “anti-white racism."</b></span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watson’s new project appears to be the latest <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/03/01/despite-bans-youtube-still-profiting-alex-jones-and-infowars/223030" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">effort</a> of Infowars to get its <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/06/13/here-exactly-what-alex-jones-has-said-about-sandy-hook-massacre/216889" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">brand of toxic commentary</a> before <a href="https://datasociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/DS_Alternative_Influence.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">a younger audience</a> on a platform where the outlet is largely banned. <b>On February 27, Jones made a nearly five-hour appearance on Joe Rogan’s show <em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal;">The Joe Rogan Experience</em> during which he <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2019/02/28/alex-jones-and-joe-rogan-made-peace-with-a-bizarre-podcast/#2ef826bc7da3" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; transition: box-shadow 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.5) 0px -1px 0px inset;">ranted and pushed</a> outlandish conspiracy theories. </b>The appearance has drawn more than 10 million views and Rogan’s channel is monetized, meaning YouTube is profiting off of the video through ad revenue sharing. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Likewise, newly hired Infowars personality Kaitlin Bennett made a February 25 appearance on massive YouTube star Logan Paul’s podcast. Like Rogan’s show, Paul’s podcast is monetized. </span>Recapping her appearance with Jones on his program, Bennett gloated about sharing with Paul’s audience a “perspective on <b>gun rights and the Second Amendment </b>that they probably didn’t think they were ever going to watch.”<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Jones said he was “glad” Bennett appeared on the show because of its large audience and because it’s hosted by the “college kids that the tweenies and 13-year-olds look up to.” Jones also said he would like to appear on the show himself.</span></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><div><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/paul-joseph-watson-i-hate-conspiracy-theories"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/paul-joseph-watson-i-hate-conspiracy-theories</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div class="mce-content-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear;"><div class="layout-constrain--narrow" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 47.2222em; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Paul Joseph Watson, a right-wing Y<b>ouTube creator and editor-at-large at the prolific conspiracy theory outlet Infowars,</b> wants you to forget the <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/06/05/infowars-paul-joseph-watson-can-t-get-anything-right/215506" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">last decade of his career</a> and to now believe he doesn’t like conspiracy theories.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In </span><a href="https://youtu.be/-T_ZsTh4ueQ" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">an interview</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> uploaded yesterday to </span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dennis Prager’s digital media outlet PragerU,</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Watson joined conservative commentator Candace Owens on her podcast to discuss issues of social media moderation as interpreted through the right-wing lens that defines it as “censorship.” Watson was <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/facebook-instagram-ban-jones-loomer-farrakhan-infowars-milo" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">banned</a> from Facebook earlier this year.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">During the interview, Watson took issue with how the media has characterized the content he produces, often identifying him as a conspiracy theorist and sympathetic to the alt-right. <b>Watson rejected being considered alt-right, since he said he does not believe in the pursuit of a white ethnostate, and similarly rejected being called a conspiracy theorist.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">“I hate conspiracy theories. I think most of them are really dumb,” Watson said.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Owens chimed in that she doesn’t watch CNN because it’s a “conspiracy theorist network.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">”</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It’s worth noting that Owens got her start in right-wing media thanks in part to an <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/candace-owens-departs-turning-point-usa/" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">in-studio appearance</a> she made on Alex Jones’ Infowars show while she still operated under the moniker “Red Pill Black.”</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Watson said, “I was a conspiracy theorist when I was a kid, like 15 years ago. That’s where I came from, so I know how those ideas—you take disparate bits of information and fuse them together to create a conspiracy. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some conspiracies. But I know how they’re created and I know mentally how people are lulled into believing them.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">After making his claim, Watson maintained his newfound anti-conspiracy theory position for about 10 minutes. Then, Watson and Owens theorized that tech companies were banning right-wing figures from their platforms because they are involved in a conspiracy to silence political dissidents and enforce homogeneous political thought.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watson appeared in-studio on Infowars <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2019/03/11/infowars-paul-joseph-watson-launching-new-project-generate-next-generation-youtubers/223087" style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; background-color: transparent; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">in March</a> to talk about a <b>new project he was working on to “generate the next generation of YouTubers, of young political commentators."</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; font-weight: 700;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">[vid]</font></span></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; line-height: 1.5;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; font-weight: 700;">Tags:</span> <a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/candace-owens/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Candace Owens</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/people/paul-joseph-watson/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">Paul Joseph Watson</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/conspiracy-theories/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">conspiracy theories</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/topics/social-media/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">social media</a><a href="https://www.rightwingwatch.org/organizations/prageru/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform; transition-timing-function: linear; outline-offset: 0.111111em; text-decoration-line: none;">PragerU</a></font></p></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">would this meme go viral without the Law and order VIDEO clip? was spread via influencer </font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx many pix twt</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">escalator/ reddit?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Here's how a fringe smear targeting E. Jean Carroll reached Donald Trump Jr.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blog ››› June 26, 2019 6:35 PM EDT ››› ALEX KAPLAN</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sarah Wasko / Media Matters</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After author and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll reported that President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., pushed a conspiracy theory that the claim was "ripped-off a plot" from a 2012 episode of NBC procedural Law & Order. Before being amplified by Trump Jr., the conspiracy theory was spread by a Twitter account associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory and another account whose content has regularly been shared by “seemingly-automated accounts.” It has also been pushed by the Daily Mail's political editor.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On June 21, Carroll wrote in <b>New York magazine’</b>s The Cut that 23 years ago, Trump assaulted her in a department store dressing room. According to Carroll, Trump “lunge[d] at me, pushe[d] me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and [put] his mouth against my lips.” She wrote that he then pulled down her tights and assaulted her. Carroll told two close friends at the time, both of whom “confirmed the allegations to New York and to [The New York] Times.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Even though her friends confirmed that Carroll told them about the incident at the time, social media accounts and message boards have claimed that Carroll “ripped-off a plot” from an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit that dealt with a similar sexual assault against an actor. However, the episode aired in 2012, well over a decade after the incident allegedly occurred.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here’s how the smear spread from social media to message boards to some right-wing sites and to Donald Trump Jr.:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter user @RickMcCargar:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter user @tksusie:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Twitter user @thebradfordfile (real name John Bradford Williams) also tweeted about the Law & Order episode. The Outline reported last year that Williams’ account has “more than 100,000 followers, a penchant for spreading far-right propaganda, and a curious network of seemingly-automated accounts regularly amplifying the reach of its tweets.” One of Williams’ former coworkers told The Outline that Williams “farms a significant portion of his engagement from direct-message based group chats on Twitter”:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">8chan’s "/pol/" amplified @thebradfordfile’s tweet:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter account @Trump454545 posted a clip of the episode in a tweet calling for Carroll to be prosecuted. The account's profile contains a hashtag of the abbreviated slogan for the QAnon conspiracy theory -- “where we go one, we go all” or “WWG1WGA”:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Reddit forum “r/The_Donald” amplified the smear </b>and @thebradfordfile and @Trump454545’s tweets:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitchy cited @thebradfordfile to push the claim:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter user @thebradfordfile then dug up this clip from “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” The detectives are interviewing a man who’s hired to play out women’s rape fantasies, and he mentions one in particular that took place … in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">No, for real.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>A user on 4chan’s “/pol/” cited the same link</b> that @thebradfordfile tweeted earlier.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>YouTube conspiracy theorist and far-right troll Mark Dice tweeted</b> another video of the episode (Donald Trump Jr. liked the tweet):</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Model and reality television star Mindy Robinson</b> later tweeted the same video as the account @Trump454545 did:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Multiple videos of the episode were posted on <b>YouTub</b>e to push the smear:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The Gateway Pundit published a piece headlined “Fraud Gets Caught! Crackpot Trump Accuser’s Story Likely Stolen from Law and Order Episode of Rape Fantasy in Bergdorf Dressing Room (VIDEO).” </b>The article cited both @thebradfordfile and @Trump454545 to push the claim:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Boston Herald columnist Adriana Cohen quoted tweeted Robinson's post of the video.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Donald Trump Jr. also quote tweeted Robinson’s post of the video to push the smear, writing, “As long as the media gives these nut jobs unfettered air time they will keep coming”:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Multiple other conservative figures also pushed Robinson’s tweet, including right-wing commentator David Wohl, the Daily Mail’s David Martosko, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush Ned Ryun, and RedState:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Additionally, when searching for Carroll’s name on Google (via incognito search), the phrase “e jean carroll law and order” now appears as an automatic search suggestion:</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Posted In</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sexual Harassment & Sexual Assault</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Network/Outlet</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4chan, Reddit, Gateway Pundit, Google, Twitter</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Person</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald Trump Jr., David Wohl, David Martosko</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Show/Publication</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitchy.com, YouTube, RedState</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Stories/Interests</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fake News</font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha: self-promotion (self in 2 senses) marketing is everything: during dot com bubble and since, hype has value: either in terms of IPO or buyout by bigger corp.  an influencer (initial ordinary ppl non-celeb created the appearnce of a personal relationship with fans [later when celebs like kardashian spawn took over, renamed as nano-influencers, but still lucrative]. that celeb then  extracts $ from fans, not unlike amway pyramid scheme? but pyramid can grow fast/for a long time b/c the matthew effect?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><a href="https://medium.com/positive-returns/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-social-media-influence-28ee82eabf5d"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://medium.com/positive-returns/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-social-media-influence-28ee82eabf5d</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx text ?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Erica Orange & Jared Weiner, The Future Hunters, and Eshanthi Ranasinghe, Exploration & Future Sensing, Omidyar Network</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>There are estimates of more than 1 million “influencers” in the world, that speak to 84 billion accounts, shaping viewer opinions and purchasing patterns through videos, pictures, tweets, “stories”, and more.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">They are distinct from celebrities, politicians, and athletes because they gained their influence through social media platforms first, usually building off of an authentic voice that speaks to a specific (usually millennial) audience, and yes, attractiveness, especially for visual-based media, helps.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The three biggest platforms for individual influence are Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube</b>—<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">though the blogosphere has long been an influencer haven. In 2017, Instagram alone had approximately 12.9 million brand-sponsored influencer posts. That number is estimated to double by the end of 2018, creating an estimated market size of nearly $1.7 billion. S</span>ome project total influencer marketing could reach $10 billion by 2020, enabled by growing influencer marketing platforms that allow easy search and access to influencers by advertisers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Decentralized communication platforms have inspired a true influence revolution, with cascading effects. But as the power of this channel grows, it changes just as rapidly, blurring the lines between fact and fiction, authenticity and advertising?—?even when you’re not actually getting paid, as we learn how to tap into its power. With its remarkable growth, we’ve also seen major controversies, from the YouTube beauty community scandal, to the now<b> infamous Fyre Festival disaster, a hoax musical festival </b>built on social media influence and very little else. Social media influence, as quickly as it rose, may die just as quickly, or transform, in a vacuum of personal meaning and authenticity?—?the driving forces that led to this alternative universe in the first place. There is change in store for influence in 2019. Here are a handful of emerging trends in the world of personal branding and influence we are particularly fascinated by:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>China’s influencer economy totaled $17 billion in 2017.</b> <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The recent “flaunt your wealth challenge” generated more than a million posts on Weibo. </span>China’s growing army of social influencers have played a role in popularizing the meme. They usually pose as if they’ve just fallen out of a luxury car and spilled their most valuable possessions onto the pavement. Chinese influencers have also capitalized on their online popularity to launch clothing and beauty lines, and even sell cars directly to fans through live-streaming apps that reach an audience of 398 million. Many own businesses that sell products created around their personalities and lifestyles.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In India, influencers have inverted the funnel to such an extent that marketers are starting to factor them into their annual calendars. </b>Young African influencers are coming onto the scene in fashion, music, arts, and food. With new products and services being consistently introduced in Africa, there is a myriad of opportunities for influencers to introduce new brands or products to a wider market. Influence is even crossing over into healthcare. Patients in the US, for instance, with social media influence are getting paid by pharma companies for their opinions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Mega-influencers are highly valued by consumer goods and fashion, but nano-influencers can be just as valuable, especially for brands and ideas that trade on trust and authenticity. Nanoinfluencer is a new term to describe people who have as few as 1,000 followers and are willing to advertise products on social media.</span> Their lack of fame is one of the qualities that make them approachable and appear genuine. At its core, influencer marketing is about storytelling and the co-creation of unique and engaging content. Honesty and transparency are often important, and this category especially has given voice to a spectrum of voices and perspectives that are often missed by mainstream media, channels, and advertisers.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Influencer marketing has pushed digital campaigning to a new level. Research indicates that social media platforms’ election mobilization features (i.e., digital equivalents of the “I Voted” sticker) have influenced voting behaviors.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> We’ve seen influencers use their reputation to back specific candidates and become active?—?and activist, voices. In Africa, where a generational divide between aging political rulers and their young constituents is strongly felt, youth influencers are playing an active role in challenging corruption, censorship, and economic crisis plaguing much of the continent.</span> Some predict that “influencers (will) become the new liberated power in Africa” in 2019. To many this feels like a way for regular people to make their mark on politics. But, as we’ve already seen, there are risks when social media is combined with elections, that we’re seeing creep into the influencer landscape as well.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> In Indonesia, political actors are paying social media influencers to spread propaganda ahead of the 2019 elections. Dozens of influencers, referred to as “buzzers”, are working in swarms to flood social media in order to influence election results.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s common for a celebrity to use influence platforms to build their brand, increasing their value as they negotiate media deals and contracts. We see the same trend among influencers?—?savvy influencers using their followings, personal brand, and social capital to further their careers, start new businesses (e.g., Tammy Hebrow, fitness influencer, now with a $3.6 million athleisure brand), sometimes propelling them into new areas, or into becoming celebrities themselves.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Bots are increasingly playing a significant and transformative role in social influence not just as followers or creators of content, but as influencers themselves. And it’s becoming more difficult to differentiate between real human influencers and artificial ones.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">We are beginning to see the rise of the<b> social media fembot.</b> Poppy, a human android-themed pop star and YouTube influencer, is one example. Poppy’s videos have been viewed more than 257 million times. Last year, Microsoft’s chatbot Zo partnered with Poppy to create “influential” internet content. Then there is Lil Miquela, a computer-animated creation posing as a human. This Instagram model is edited into real backgrounds, posed with real people, and dressed in real streetwear that real people can buy. Her rise to nebulous online fame has led to collaborations with brands like Prada.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In April 2018, Miquela’s profile was hacked, by another social media bot. Many photos deleted and replaced with photos of a different computer-generated avatar, Bermuda. While potentially politically-driven (Miquela is liberal and Bermuda is pro-Trump), it also represents what the professional wrestling world calls “kayfabe”?—?the blanket term for anything within a storyline that’s meant to seem real, even if it’s fake.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bot followers have been inflating influencer fan counts for years, but now brands who collaborate with influencers have a heightened reason for skepticism. As many as 48 million of Twitter’s reported active users (15 percent) may be automated accounts designed to simulate real people. Facebook deleted 583 million fake accounts in the first three months of 2018, and in November 2017, revealed that up to 60 million automated accounts may roam the site. While Twitter and other platforms prohibit buying followers, other sites openly sell them to celebrities, businesses, and anyone who wants to seem more popular or exert influence.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>“Woke” chatbots</b> have appeared on Twitter and have been dubbed the “next frontier of online activism.” While both Follower Bots and Woke the Social Activist Bot are not “influencers” in fashion or brand, these chatbots can play a critical role gaining momentum behind movements, and have their own “influence” game to play.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With the pickup of social media advertising, regulation has followed. The UK Advertising Standards Agency and Competition and Markets Authority has created an Influencer’s Guide with rules around social media advertising. The US Federal Trade Commission has started selectively bringing legal action against notable brands and paid influencers who haven’t disclosed sponsorships, saying disclosure tools by platforms like Facebook are insufficient as they are.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In the Middle East, where media can be influencer-led given blocks on traditional new sources and content, countries like the UAE are even introducing regulations requiring expensive licenses to become an influencer</b>. In a world of digital influence, the “who” (and increasingly, the “what”) become harder to define. While influencers can help brands gain trust and authenticity due to their “real life” authority, we can, through social media, craft an idealized persona through fake followers, fake content, fake images, fake recognition, even fake experience, none of which can be verified or proven otherwise, the exact opposite of its original intent.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Deepfakes are further blurring the line between reality and falsehoods</b>, raising many questions: How do we begin to prove that online political movements are real if we can’t even tell if they are created, managed, or followed by AI/bots or actual people? This becomes murky territory for advertisers in the business of influencer marketing. A new status marker has emerged?—?the number of people who follow, like, or “friend” you. But deciphering who has real marketplace and consumer influence is getting harder to prove, particularly as it becomes more difficult to differentiate on social media between humans and AIs impersonating humans.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">This could all very well lead to the demise of the influencer, or at least its transformation, as those in search of <b>authentic</b> experience and unmediated relationships look to new channels and voices.</span> Reputation is a new currency, for employability, value in society; but how is “influencer value” affecting us?—?both socio-culturally and geopolitically? What effect will influencer-coordinated misinformation campaigns on social media have on global politics? Or global citizenry? Mainstream media?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">More broadly, what effect will social influence have on everything from corporate shareholder profit to hiring practices to future employability? Will it reinforce pre-existing beliefs to dangerous levels? Ignite more polarizing and extremist viewpoints? Or could it give voice to the disenfranchised, the marginalized, and the subjugated? What made us seek out and listen to influencers in the first place? What new power “influence institutions” are being created, and what will the counter-reaction be?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is Trend #2 of 5 in Omidyar Network’s Exploration and Future Sensing 2019 Trends to Watch. View the full series as it publishes here.</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mosly IP?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><a href="https://www.counterextremism.com/blog/updated-googleyoutube%E2%80%99s-reative-policies"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.counterextremism.com/blog/updated-googleyoutube’s-reative-policies</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">i wanted to track this up escalator</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-block-end: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thursday, deceptively edited videos of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) meant to cast doubt on her competency made the rounds on social media and right-wing websites. Later, Fox put its weight behind the narrative, and the network’s most prominent viewer, President Donald Trump, tweeted out a Fox clip about it.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-block-end: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The smears seem like an obvious attempt to discredit Pelosi after she </span><a href="https://www.apnews.com/ce08485cee37470db8983b8bd06c40a0" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">questioned Trump's fitness</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> for office during a May 23 press conference, saying she wished “his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country.” A day earlier, Pelosi </span><a href="https://apnews.com/abf4b46fcb07477d9871ad56df45b3ca" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">had made</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/22/various-coverups-donald-i-dont-do-coverups-trump/?utm_term=.94d30f2006e6" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">the true statement</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> that Trump was engaged in a cover-up. As CNN’s Brian Stelter </span><a href="https://mailchi.mp/cnn/rs-may-23-2019?e=9e3d8b2a2a" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">pointed out</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in the May 24 edition of his </span><em style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;">Reliable Sources </em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">newsletter, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“What's going on here is pretty obvious. Pelosi is questioning President Trump's competency -- saying she's concerned about the president's well-being, suggesting an ‘intervention’ is needed -<b>- so Trump's allies are saying the exact same things about her.” MIRROR</b></span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-block-end: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">There are actually two videos circulating in the pro-Trump media sphere. One spliced together clips </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-shares-video-that-highlights-verbal-stumbles-by-pelosi-and-questions-her-mental-acuity/2019/05/24/a2e83ed8-7e0d-11e9-8ede-f4abf521ef17_story.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">of Pelosi’s comments on Thursday to make it seem</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> like she stammered throughout the press conference.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> The other <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/05/23/faked-pelosi-videos-slowed-make-her-appear-drunk-spread-across-social-media/?utm_campaign=c9100e751d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_09_11_04_47_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_source=CNN%20Media%3A%20Reliable%20Sources&utm_term=.176b7aece175" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">significantly slowed</a> remarks Pelosi made during an appearance at the Center for American Progress (CAP) on May 22 to make her look inebriated. (Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/giuliani-posts-doctored-video-of-pelosi-slurring-her-words-what-is-wrong-with-nancy-pelosi/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">tweeted and later deleted</a> that manipulated video.)</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-block-end: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Conspiracy theory website Infowars <a href="https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2019/05/24/Screen_Shot_2019-05-24_at_9.54.16_AM.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">pushed</a> the narrative with the headline “Watch Nancy Pelosi Stutter Slur And Suffer Memory Lapses in Press Conference.” Then Fox Business’ <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lou Dobbs Tonight</em> adopted a similar frame in an on-screen chyron and aired the deceptively spliced clip of the May 23 <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?461025-1/speaker-pelosi-calls-president-trump-master-distraction&start=239" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">press conference</a>. Trump then tweeted the Fox segment out to his 60.5 million followers.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-block-end: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[vid?]On</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Fox’s <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fox & Friends</em> this morning, guests Diamond and Silk <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2019/05/24/66348/fnc-ff-20190524-diamondsilk-pelosi" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">falsely accused</a> Pelosi of inebriation,</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> possibly referring to the doctored footage of her appearance at CAP.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Co-host Steve Doocy claimed in a later segment that he was unfamiliar with the doctored video but <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2019/05/24/66349/fnc-ff-20190524-doocy-diamondsilk-correction" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">issued a correction</a> for Diamond and Silk’s accusation by citing the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Post</em>. However, the two Fox Nation hosts refused to back down:</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-block-end: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[twts]</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-block-end: 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Copies of the videos continue to spread on social media platforms like <a href="https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2019/05/24/Fake_Pelosi_video_Facebook1.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2019/05/24/Fake_Pelosi_video_Reddit.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">Reddit</a>, <a href="https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2019/05/24/Fake_Pelosi_video_Twitter2.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">and</a> <a href="https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2019/05/24/Fake_Pelosi_video_Twitter.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; font-weight: 700; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">Twitter</a>, garnering thousands of interactions. Though these videos are deceptive, the tech giants seem unable to halt their spread -- and in some cases, they may even be making money from views,<b> as at least one video <a href="https://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/uploader/image/2019/05/24/Fake_Pelosi_video_YouTube_ad.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);">pushing</a> the smear on YouTube featured an ad.</b></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><a href="https://medium.com/positive-returns/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-social-media-influence-28ee82eabf5d"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://medium.com/positive-returns/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-social-media-influence-28ee82eabf5d</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/youtubes-newest-far-right-foul-mouthed-red-pilling-star-is"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/youtubes-newest-far-right-foul-mouthed-red-pilling-star-is</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What does a 14-year-old girl dressed in a chador have to say on YouTube to amass more than 800,000 followers?<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How about this: “I’ve become a devout follower of the Prophet Muhammad. Suffice to say, I’ve been having a fuck ton of fun. Of course, I get raped by my 40-year-old husband every so often and I have to worship a black cube to indirectly please an ancient Canaanite god — but at least I get to go to San Fran and stone the shit out of some gays, and the cops can’t do anything about it because California is a crypto-caliphate.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Or how about, simply, “Kill yourself, faggot.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yes, if you want a vision of the future YouTube is midwifing, imagine a cherubic white girl mocking Islamic dress while lecturing her hundreds of thousands of followers about Muslim “rape gangs,” social justice “homos,” and the evils wrought by George Soros — under the thin guise of edgy internet comedy, forever.</font></b></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Actually, don’t imagine it. Watch it. It’s already here.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The video is called “Be Not Afraid,” and it may be the clearest manifestation yet of the culture the executives of Alphabet’s video monster are delivering to millions of kids around the world, now via children incubated in that selfsame culture. To understand just how bad things have gotten on the platform, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdaUDeAGIck" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">you need to see it for yourself</a>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Users — and more importantly to YouTube, advertisers — have over the past year started to hold the platform accountable for enabling the exploitation of children and exposing them to disturbing content. But this video reveals an entirely different way the platform is harming kids: by letting them express extreme views in front of the entire world. This is what indoctrination looks like when it’s reflected back by the indoctrinated.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A 20-minute, unbroken, and hyperarticulate tirade ostensibly about ignoring criticism online, “Be Not Afraid” stars a high school freshman from the Bay Area who goes by the name Soph on YouTube. (She edits as well as scores the videos, which she says are comedic.) Through videos like these, she’s become a rising star — with more than 800,000 followers — in the universe of conspiracy theorists, racists, and demagogues that owes its big bang to YouTube.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The video platform for years has incentivized such content through algorithms favoring sensational videos, and, as recent reporting has revealed, has <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-04-02/youtube-executives-ignored-warnings-letting-toxic-videos-run-rampant" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">deliberately ignored toxic content</a> as a growth strategy.</font></b></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Soph’s scripts, which she says she writes with a collaborator, are familiar: a mix of hatred toward Muslims, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KvyEx2cnGo&t=72s" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">anti-black racism</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFfoSnRD24s&t=238s" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Byzantine fearmongering about pedophilia</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7bplfghJMs&t=531s" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">tissue-thin incel evolutionary psychology</a>, and reflexive misanthropy that could have been copied and pasted from a thousand different 4chan posts. Of course, it’s all presented in the terminally ironic style popularized by boundary-pushing comedy groups like the influential Million Dollar Extreme and <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/3/16/18266930/christchurch-shooter-manifesto-memes-subscribe-to-pewdiepie" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">adopted</a> of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/04/29/i-didnt-want-hate-win-pewdiepie-ends-subscribe-meme-after-christchurch-shooters-shout-out/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">late</a> by white supremacist mass shooters in Christchurch and San Diego.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">(Soph is even more explicitly hateful on Discord, the gaming chat app, where <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdaUDeAGIck" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">she recently</a> admitted to writing under the username “lutenant faggot” that <a href="https://twitter.com/roman_nfkrz/status/1113050131031625728" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">she hoped for</a>“A Hitler for Muslims” to “gas them all.”)</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By now, we’re used to this stuff coming from grown men — <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/carl-benjamin-ukip-racism-youtube-sargon-akkad-mep-a8887696.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">some</a> of <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/joey-salads-youtube-star-famous-for-racist-pranks-launches-congressional-bid?ref=home" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">whom</a> have even used the platform as a launching pad for political aspirations. But Soph is a child. Despite the vitriol of her words and her confidence in delivering them, she’s still just a 14-year-old kid. And hearing this language lisped through braces, with the odd word mispronounced as if read but never before said, is clarifying.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Think of Jonathan Krohn, the conservative child prodigy who addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2009, at age 13. Today he’s a freelance journalist who writes about extremism for liberal magazines, and has disowned his past views. Or think of Lynx and Lamb Gaede, who became media sensations as 11-year-old white nationalist twin pop singers in the mid-aughts. Today they’ve renounced racism and taken up marijuana legalization activism. Part of being a young person, maybe especially for a rhetorically gifted one, is testing out ideas and identities — even ones we later find anathema. That’s not to excuse anything Soph says; but it is to say children often don’t understand the weight of the words they use. (Neither Soph nor her father responded to requests for comment.)</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Interviews with Soph and asides in her videos reveal a young person whose identity is obviously still being formed. She didn’t start as a politics caster but, predictably, as a profane 9-year-old (9!) game streamer called LtCorbis. Influential YouTubers Pyrocynical and Keemstar promoted her early work, which ripped on YouTube culture and the indignities of being a fifth-grader instead of people of color and liberals. (A 2016 Daily Dot story about her bore the unintentionally profound headline “This sweary, savvy, 11-year-old gamer girl is the future of YouTube.”) In more recent videos, Soph discloses a health issue that kept her out of class for long stretches. She confesses to being unhappy in school. She talks about a move from New York to California. She identifies by turns as “right-wing” and “anarcho-capitalist.” She’s 14, precocious, isolated, and pissed off, a combination that has produced a lot of bad behavior over the years, but not all of it monetized through preroll ads and a Patreon, and not all of it streamed to millions.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">YouTube’s kid problem is well-known. From disturbing auto-generated cartoons to parents who playact violence with their children for clicks to a network of users exploiting videos of children for sexual content, the company has consistently failed at protecting the young users who are its most valuable assets. But Soph’s popularity raises another, perhaps more difficult question, about whether YouTube has an obligation to protect such users from themselves — and one another.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Of course, that’s <a href="https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/05/05/what-happened-after-my-13-year-old-son-joined-the-alt-right/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">partially the job of parents</a>, a fact Soph pointed out in a recent video while addressing people alarmed by her content.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I’m wondering why they’re concerned with what I say instead of being concerned with the parents who let their kids watch me,” she said.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s unclear how much Soph’s own parents know about her videos. Internet sleuths have figured out details about her parents' lives, one of whom Soph has claimed voted for Hillary Clinton. In a recent interview, Soph said that her parents have never had a serious conversation with her about the politics of her videos, though she did respond angrily when a reporter attempted to contact her dad.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the powers of parents over children who live online are limited. And YouTube has taken no ownership over what is happening to kids who grow up inhaling its trademark stench of bigotry, conspiracy, and nihilism. Now the kids, or the smart ones anyway, seem to know it. Indeed, YouTube’s own incompetence and lack of quality is one of Soph’s recurring themes; she acknowledges owing her fame to them.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The fact that I was 11 and could easily follow the commentary formula should have been a sign that the standards for the genre were terribly low,” she said in the same interview.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last month, after YouTube deactivated comments on her videos — the platform disabled comments on all videos with children in response to an outcry over the aforementioned network of exploitation — Soph uploaded a 12-minute video in which she seemed to be daring the platform to suspend her, knowing full well that it wouldn’t.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Susan, I’ve known your address since last summer,” Soph said, directly addressing YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. “I’ve got a Luger and a mitochondrial disease. I don’t care if I live. Why should I care if you live or your children? I just called an Uber. You’ve got about seven minutes to draft up a will. ... I’m coming for you, and it ain’t gonna be pretty.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A far-right child comedian threatening to murder the executive of the video site that has made her famous, for trying to protect her from pedophiles: the state of YouTube in 2019.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After being contacted about the story, YouTube reviewed Soph's channel. It removed the video containing the death threat against Wojcicki, but not "Be Not Afraid" or any others. The company also issued Soph a strike, which prevents her from uploading videos for a week. According to YouTube, as per its terms of service, the platform is for children 13 and older, and it deletes accounts belonging to children under that age as it is made aware of them. Soph created her account at age 9 and received significant publicity for her videos before turning 13.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Indeed, one of Soph’s messages seems to be that in a world where the adults who have grown rich through technology took the implications of that technology seriously, she wouldn’t exist. She’s a problem, she seems to be saying, of YouTube’s own making.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“You could beg me kicking and screaming to stop disseminating the ideas I believe in, and it wouldn’t make a fucking difference,” Soph says at the end of “Be Not Afraid," in a passage in which she seems to drop her shtick, if only for a moment. “Not only am I inoculated to that bullshit, most of Gen Z is too. Millennials grew up with MTV and nowadays watch Colbert. We, on the other hand, grew up with the internet, so we have no centralized source of information that controls what we think. We filter out the truth for ourselves; we’re not lazy. No one is brainwashing kids. Kids are simply learning from having free access to information, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.7rem; padding: 0px; font-family: Pensum, " times="times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The ultimate target of “Be Not Afraid” is, finally, adults: people who just don’t get why social justice discourse is meaningless and co-optable, why school can’t compare to YouTube, why mass murder can be funny. People who have enough experience to know better. She’s sure that adults are selfish and stupid, that the people with the most power over her life are making it up as they go along, just like she is. When you look at the adults who have gotten rich off the platform that created Soph, she isn’t completely wrong. She's been publishing on YouTube for years with no consequence other than becoming famous.</font></p></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">trump re?-tweets</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(241, 242, 243);"><li style="text-align: left; box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 23px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.33;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; border: 0px;"><a data-ga-action="Home Headlines: Headline" href="https://www.democracynow.org/2019/4/15/headlines/rep_ilhan_omar_sees_spike_in_death_threats_after_trump_9_11_attack" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; border: 0px;">Rep. Ilhan Omar Sees Spike in Death Threats After Trump 9/11 Attack</a></font></li></ul></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">daily caller fox news 43 sec video her interspersed with 911 images with quote out of context</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2019/04/rep-ilhan-omar-has-seen-an-increase-in-direct-threats-on-my-life-since-trumps-attack/">https://www.alternet.org/2019/04/rep-ilhan-omar-has-seen-an-increase-in-direct-threats-on-my-life-since-trumps-attack/</a></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">of course they are :</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-social-media-is-helping-big-tobacco-hook-a-new-generation-of-smokers-112911">
</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-social-media-is-helping-big-tobacco-hook-a-new-generation-of-smokers-112911">https://theconversation.com/how-social-media-is-helping-big-tobacco-hook-a-new-generation-of-smokers-112911</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Big Tobacco is increasingly using social media to find new ways to hook young people on smoking, <a href="https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/press-releases/id_0265" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">circumventing decades of laws</a> restricting the marketing of traditional cigarettes to minors.</font></div><div class="grid-ten large-grid-nine grid-last content-body content entry-content instapaper_body" itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.8; float: left; width: 754px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In major cities around the world such as Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Jakarta and Milan, tobacco companies have been holding extravagant events with names like “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/k.player/" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">K_Player</a>” and “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/redmovenow/" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">RedMoveNow</a>” that were designed to connect with young people. Often featuring alcohol, live music and attractive hosts, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/24/health/tobacco-social-media-smoking.html" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">these lavish events spare no expense</a> as they seek find new buyers for their tobacco products.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The problem? Those party-goers are carefully targeted young influencers, who are encouraged to share photos of their glamorous tobacco-sponsored adventures with friends and followers on social media using appealing hashtags like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/iamonthemove/" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">#iamonthemove</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/decideyourflow/" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">#decideyourflow</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/mydaynow/" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">#mydaynow</a>. And although the influencers are over 18, their social media followers can be much younger.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This exploitation of social media’s organic reach is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/24/health/tobacco-social-media-smoking.html" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">one of the findings</a> from a global research project <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TUaYW4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">I’ve been working on</a> since 2016 with more than a dozen different scholars. The anti-smoking advocacy group <a href="https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Tobacco-Free Kids</a> noticed a lot of photos of young people with cigarettes turning up in their online scans of global social media and asked me to look into it.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_TUaYW4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">My own research</a> focuses on how to rigorously research online culture using natural observational techniques, something that this study definitely required.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">My team’s task was to monitor, report upon and analyze the programs behind the hashtagged social media posts of young people smoking. What we learned about tobacco company’s current advertising surprised us.</font></p><figure class="align-center " style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; position: relative;"><figcaption style="margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; line-height: 18px; cursor: default;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="caption" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">Tobacco ads were much bigger in 1996 – literally.</span> <span class="attribution" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Associated-Press-Domestic-News-New-York-United-/73daa007fae6da11af9f0014c2589dfb/33/0" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word; display: inline; max-width: 100%;">AP Photo/Mark Lennihan</a></span></font></figcaption></figure><h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Skirting marketing restrictions</font></h2><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tobacco companies have always had a knack for finding creative ways to skirt regulations intended to curb marketing to young people.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 1971, the U.S. Congress <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2009/04/congress-bans-cigarette-ads-on-the-air-april-1-1970-020715" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">banned tobacco ads</a> from television and radio. In response, companies invested heavily in outdoor advertising and magazines. In 1997, <a href="https://publichealthlawcenter.org/topics/tobacco-control/tobacco-control-litigation/master-settlement-agreement" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement</a> banned tobacco on outdoor and billboard ads. In response, <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Tobacco_industry_sponsorship_of_sporting_events" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">tobacco money flowed into sponsorships</a> of sports, music and other events. These type of <a href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/867690" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">event sponsorships were banned</a>, with some exceptions, in 2010, at the same time wider restrictions on youth marketing were also introduced.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">No matter the medium, the messaging was often the same: find ways to reach new and young potential smokers. As documents from the <a href="http://industrydocuments.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/gfvn0042" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Legacy Tobacco Documents Library</a>reveal, tobacco executives have long believed that the continued survival and success of their companies depends on one thing: <a href="http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/mqu46b00" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">convincing young people</a> to buy their products.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2005, the World Health Organization <a href="https://medium.com/@TobaccoFreeSC/tobacco-companies-targeting-youth-25ba3fff1daa" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">banned tobacco advertising</a> in 168 signatory countries. By 2010, the U.S. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Smoking_Prevention_and_Tobacco_Control_Act" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">had closed a lot</a> of Big Tobacco’s favorite advertising and tobacco loopholes.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With conventional media mostly off-limits, what was Big Tobacco to do? Like the Marlboro Man, the unregulated Wild West of social media rode to the rescue</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[twt suprme pants]</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The perfect marketing medium</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Social media fits Big Tobacco’s advertising needs to a tee.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At least <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/03/01/social-media-use-in-2018/" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">88 percent of American youth</a> say they use social media apps like Facebook and Instagram regularly, and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/regulate-social-media-its-a-bit-more-complicated-than-that-103797" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">technologies are notoriously difficult</a> to regulate.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With Tobacco-Free Kids’ financial support, I assembled a growing team of researchers to investigate. Our work is ongoing.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">My team collected a plethora of social media data and also conducted interviews with a range of tobacco brand ambassadors, party attendees, influencers and industry insiders from around the world. What we found was an astoundingly effective use of social media by a range of different tobacco companies to connect with the next generation of potential cigarette smokers.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While tobacco companies were careful to abide by the letter of the law – the influencers involved in these posts were all of legal smoking age in their countries – social media has a public setting that makes it an effective and largely unregulated form of broadcast.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Legally, <a href="https://help.instagram.com/517920941588885" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">anyone age 13 or over</a> can have an Instagram or Facebook account. Our “<a href="https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol15/iss5/13/" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">netnography</a>” – a type of qualitative social media inquiry that focuses on cultural contexts, social structures and deeper meanings – only looked at public posts, images that any 13-year-old with an account could see.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;" /><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{" url="url" https="https" www.instagram.com="www.instagram.com" p="p" bykcuj8lwef="BYKCuj8lWEF" utm_source="ig_embed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;" /><h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Training camps and pop-up parties</font></h2><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Our investigation uncovered a range of promotional activities and a web of public relations and advertising agencies that cleverly leveraged the strengths of social media to keep tobacco advertising under the radar of existing regulation.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We found tobacco companies in countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines recruiting “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/11/business/media/nanoinfluencers-instagram-influencers.html" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">nano-influencers</a>” of just 2,000-3,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram and encouraging them to post about their tobacco-sponsored adventures.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Indonesia, we found brand ambassador training camps that lasted two full weeks and were run by the domestic tobacco company Gudang Garam. At these camps, young nano-influencers were paid generous fees, taught about cigarette brands images and then provided lessons about how to better maintain their social media feeds.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Public relations agencies in Uruguay taught their influencers how to take pictures of cigarette packages in ways that best accentuated their brands, offering tips on lighting, hashtags and the best time to post them for maximum impact.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;" /><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{" url="url" https="https" www.instagram.com="www.instagram.com" p="p" bgwd_chhmo8="BgWD_ChHMO8" utm_source="ig_embed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;" /><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some companies used Facebook pages to recruit young people to attend their parties. After answering a few questions on the Facebook page, for example, responders were enrolled in a mailing list resulting in invitations to cool pop-up “parties and edgier events.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At those parties, young people were greeted by attractive attendants who offered them cigarettes and encouraged them to pose with floor designs modeled after cigarette brand logos. After snapping pictures, they were encouraged to post them on their social media feed using the party’s decisiveness and action-oriented hashtags. The result was unquestionably a new form of cigarette promotion.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These activities clearly violate the spirit of the existing agreements not to indirectly advertise to young people. You can call it stealth, undercover or guerrilla marketing if you wish. Whatever its name, this is 21st-century cigarette advertising that reaches millions of young people around the world.</font></p><h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Exploiting social media</font></h2><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Our research has not only helped shine a light on Big Tobacco’s unchecked use of social media, it has also informed <a href="https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/content/press_office/2018/2018_08_ftc_petition.pdf" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">a recent petition to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission</a>requesting it to investigate and enforce these novel forms of cigarette advertising.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although it might be difficult for governments to keep on top of media in these rapidly changing times, they must do so if they hope to prevent <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/smoking" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">global smoking rates</a> and their consequent health problems from rising once again. Indeed, with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/health/tobacco-e-cigarettes-lobbying-fda.html" style="outline: none; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: break-word;">leadership change in the Food and Drug Administration</a>, new and tighter regulations on tobacco and vaping in the United States are already being cast into doubt.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Social media provide an incredible advance in communications that democratize communications in unprecedented ways.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, that openness is easy to exploit by marketers with dubious motives.</font></p></div><div class="grid-ten grid-prepend-two large-grid-nine grid-last content-topics topic-list" style="margin: 0px 0px 12px 172px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); float: left; width: 754px;"><span class="icon-tag" style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: middle; background: transparent; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: inline-block; position: relative; top: 0px; width: 1.231em; float: left;"><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;"><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/marketing-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Marketing</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/research-26" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Research</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/facebook-108" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Facebook</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/social-media-109" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Social media</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/smoking-451" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Smoking</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/markets-660" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Markets</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/indonesia-664" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Indonesia</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/advertisement-699" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Advertisement</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/cigarettes-704" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Cigarettes</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/advertising-738" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Advertising</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/industry-810" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Industry</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/italy-1047" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Italy</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/egypt-1402" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Egypt</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/india-1429" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">India</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/brazil-2153" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Brazil</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/instagram-4276" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Instagram</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/philippines-5828" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Philippines</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/rio-de-janeiro-9063" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Rio de Janeiro</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/influencers-22457" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Influencers</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/cairo-22848" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Cairo</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/jakarta-23993" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Jakarta</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/milan-28985" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Milan</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/the-conversations-instagram-48379" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The Conversation's Instagram</font></a></li><li class="topic-list-item" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; list-style: none; float: left;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/social-media-influencers-58705" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-radius: 2px; display: block; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 6px 6px 0px; padding: 0px 6px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">social media influencers</font></a></li></ul><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="white-space: nowrap;"><b>=</b></span></font></div></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">gamer bro?</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After every mass murder, journalists, researchers, and horrified members of the public turn to the internet as they struggle to understand why the perpetrator would take so many lives. Often, those searches paint a picture of a disturbed individual who has been radicalized in dark, online rabbit holes.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But on Friday, the suspected gunman behind the Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque shootings appeared to take the process of internet radicalization to a disturbing new level—turning the massacre itself another dark internet rabbit hole designed to draw the attention of like-minded people around the world while attracting new allies to his cause.</font></p><aside class="pullquote-left" style="box-sizing: inherit; position: relative; width: 275.391px; margin-top: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; margin-left: 0px; padding: 1rem 0px 0px; float: left; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top: 15px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.3; letter-spacing: -1px; margin-right: 2.5rem !important; left: 0px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This definitely is a real-life shitpost.”</font></aside><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This definitely is a real-life shitpost,” said Joel Finklestein, a researcher specializing in the digital spread of extremist content at the Anti-Defamation League and the Network Contagion Research Institute.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Shitposting is an internet term for pumping out low-quality and often ironic online content to get a reaction from other people.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Finklestein explained that the gunman—who live-streamed the killings and distributed a detailed manifesto full of references to far-right memes—was able to pull off an extreme and tragic version of what white nationalist internet <a href="https://www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of-world/2019/03/15/shitposting-inspirational-terrorism-and-the-christchurch-mosque-massacre/" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; background-position: 0px 90%; background-image: url(" wp-content="wp-content" themes="themes" motherjones="motherjones" css="css" img="img" orange-border.png="orange-border.png" background-repeat="background-repeat" repeat-x="repeat-x" text-shadow="text-shadow" rgb="rgb" px="px">shitposters</a> do all the time: publish incendiary content to enrage and confuse their opponents.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Finklestein points out, the Christchurch gunman clearly aspired to do more than spark widespread anger while taking dozens of lives. He also wanted to bring in new recruits. His social media accounts, which were promptly taken down, looked like they had been quickly fashioned into repositories of the message he was trying to spread. His Twitter account was only created in February, and he appears to have not posted anything recently on Facebook until Wednesday, when he unloaded a batch of links outlining his white nationalist worldview.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The gunman left a small archive of his thoughts and actions, live-streaming the shooting on Facebook and leaving a lengthy document explaining some of his motivations, all peppered with bits of trolling to confuse readers and maximize his reach. During the livestream of the shooting, he shouted, “Remember, lads, subscribe to</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> PewDiePie”—a reference to the popular Youtuber who has been <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/12/13/18136253/pewdiepie-vs-tseries-links-to-white-supremacist-alt-right-redpill" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; background-position: 0px 90%; background-image: url(" wp-content="wp-content" themes="themes" motherjones="motherjones" css="css" img="img" orange-border.png="orange-border.png" background-repeat="background-repeat" repeat-x="repeat-x" text-shadow="text-shadow" rgb="rgb" px="px">criticized</a> for veering too close to alt-right territory</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. His manifesto included memes popular on </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">hate-filled internet message boards such as 4chan and 8chan; ironic nods to video games such as Fortnite and Spyro; and incendiary—and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/the-shooters-manifesto-was-designed-to-troll/585058/" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; background-position: 0px 90%; background-image: url(" wp-content="wp-content" themes="themes" motherjones="motherjones" css="css" img="img" orange-border.png="orange-border.png" background-repeat="background-repeat" repeat-x="repeat-x" text-shadow="text-shadow" rgb="rgb" px="px">potentially misleading</a>—praise for a conservative media figure.[tucker?]</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s impossible to know the precise intent behind the manifesto, but it is filled with references that journalists with little 4chan experience could easily include in news stories or tweets in a manner that inadvertently gives more exposure to the shooter’s white supremacist goals. And more exposure means more potential converts—or, in the words of far-right internet posters, more opportunities to <a href="https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2018/10/11/memes-infowars-75-fascist-activists-red-pilled/" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; background-position: 0px 90%; background-image: url(" wp-content="wp-content" themes="themes" motherjones="motherjones" css="css" img="img" orange-border.png="orange-border.png" background-repeat="background-repeat" repeat-x="repeat-x" text-shadow="text-shadow" rgb="rgb" px="px">“red-pill”</a> readers.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Becca Lewis, who studies online political subcultures at Data & Society, a digital research institute, <a href="https://twitter.com/beccalew/status/1106550850334404608" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; background-position: 0px 90%; background-image: url(" wp-content="wp-content" themes="themes" motherjones="motherjones" css="css" img="img" orange-border.png="orange-border.png" background-repeat="background-repeat" repeat-x="repeat-x" text-shadow="text-shadow" rgb="rgb" px="px">recalled on Twitter</a> how this happened with past coverage of massacres perpetrated by members of extremist internet communities. She pointed to how the term “incel”—which refers to “involuntary celibate” men, who often espouse misogynist rhetoric online—was virtually unknown until it was mentioned in media reports about murders carried out by people linked with that community. “Then any disillusioned young man could start googling his way down a rabbit hole just by using that search term,” Lewis noted.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joan Donovan, another internet extremism researcher at Data & Society and Harvard, argues that the New Zealand gunman was deliberately trying to provoke a similar media reaction.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The manifesto is bait. It is loaded with keywords that lead down far-right rabbit holes. Do not repost,” she <a href="https://twitter.com/BostonJoan/status/1106419430085574657" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; background-position: 0px 90%; background-image: url(" wp-content="wp-content" themes="themes" motherjones="motherjones" css="css" img="img" orange-border.png="orange-border.png" background-repeat="background-repeat" repeat-x="repeat-x" text-shadow="text-shadow" rgb="rgb" px="px">advised on Twitter</a>. “Most of the NZ shooter’s social media is <b>new. </b>It’s an attempt to get journalists to see a unified narrative.”</font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“He tried to meme himself into existence by producing a press kit and quoting memes and social media influencers while carrying out such violence,</b>” Donovan told <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">Mother Jones.</em></font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Christchurch shooter also exploited an unwitting ally—technology companies who have proven themselves unable or unwilling to stop the spread of hate speech on their platforms. Even though the murder video violated YouTube’s, Facebook’s and Twitter’s policies, it still spread rapidly across their platforms. Social media users and reporters documented how even hours Facebook took down the original livestream, copies of the footage were still careening across the social networks. It was instantly accessible to anyone who could search for the gunman’s name on the internet’s most popular websites.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The result: a horrific event made all the more devastating by the perpetrator’s ability to turn some of America’s most profitable companies into distributors of his ghoulish white nationalist recruiting video.</font></p></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">T</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">wenty-nine-year-old YouTuber PewDiePie is not responsible for the </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/world/asia/new-zealand-shooting-updates-christchurch.html" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">New Zealand shooting</span></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">We shouldn’t shift the blame from the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/15/asia/christchurch-mosque-shooting-intl/index.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">apparent neo-Nazi and Islamophobe</a> who allegedly shot up two mosques last week.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 609.531px; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Yet tragedies like this don’t exist in a vacuum. It’s crucial to discuss why, during a sickening live stream of his attack, alleged New Zealand gunman Brenton Tarrant gleefully </span><a href="https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/subscribe-to-pewdiepie-new-zealand-gunman/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">encouraged viewers</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"> to “subscribe to PewDiePie.” If PewDiePie didn’t have a history of racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism, there’d be nothing to talk about—but he does. So let’s talk about it.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 20px auto 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 609.531px; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie, born Felix Kjellberg, is an influential figure to over 90 million subscribers. His devotees revere him with all the cultish fervor of modern stan culture, going as far as to </span><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemcneal/world-war-2-memorial-graffiti-pewdiepie" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">deface war monuments</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"> and </span><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/17/18144807/pewdiepie-tseries-wall-street-journal-hack-subscribers" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">hack the <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Wall Street Journal</em>’s website</span></a></span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> to promote his channel.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> While PewDiePie has since encouraged his fans </span></span><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/pewdiepie-youtube-war-memorial-vandalism-t-series-sub-count-a8814006.html" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">not to do anything illegal</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, he and his content hold an eerie amount of power over his supporters. It’s not all gaming and memes, either—</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">that content is frequently problematic. Here’s a brief rundown of PewDiePie’s worst bouts of bigotry.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">
</span></font></p><ul style="margin-top: 20px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; width: 557.813px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; margin-left: 20px !important;"><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-weight: inherit;">He incorporated </span><b>anti-Semitic</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;"> themes and imagery into </span></span><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/13/14605060/pewdiepie-disney-deal-lost-nazi-anti-semitic-imagery" style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">nine of his videos</span></a><span style="font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, one of which called for the death of all Jewish people.</span></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">He </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/09/12/there-are-no-excuses-for-it-pewdiepie-apologizes-for-saying-the-n-word-in-a-youtube-livestream/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">said the N-word</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"> during a gaming live stream. </span></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">He frequently </span><a href="http://www.ourgemcodes.com/pewdiepie-encourages-disrespecting-wamen-meme-makes-multiple-sexist-jokes/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">makes casually sexist comments</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, even going as far as to </span><a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/59q98k/pewdiepie-alinity-copyright-feud-twitch-fails" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">victim-blame</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">His <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dh-RLuN4" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">diss track</a> against <a href="https://mashable.com/article/flaretv-youtube-channel-tracking-pewdiepie-vs-t-series/#mih9S0VxIOqS" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">YouTube rival T-Series</a> included racist verses mocking their skin color (“I’m a blue-eyes white dragon while you’re just dark magician”) and language (“Your language sounds like it come from a mumble rap community”).</font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">He </span><a href="https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/pewdiepie-promotes-esemicolonr-youtube-nazi/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">endorsed EsemicolonR</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">, a virulently anti-Semitic, homophobic, and sexist YouTuber.</span></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">He </span><a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/ben-shapiro-actually-reviewed-memes-for-pewdiepies-youtube-show-208812" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-weight: inherit;">collaborated with</span><b> Ben Shapiro</b></span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><b> </b>who has decided that English departments at American universities are <a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/benshapiro/2003/08/20/militant-gay-english-on-the-rise-n1334827" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">“brainwashing centers for the militant gay movement”</a>; has <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/133918830073352192" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">used the anti-Semitic trope</a> of the “Evil Jew”; posted <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/354781-ben-shapiro-apologizes-for-racist-columbus-day-video" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">a Columbus Day video</a> depicting Indigenous peoples as cannibals; <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/25712847277" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">has stated</a> that Arab peoples “like to bomb crap and live in open sewage”; and has <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1776055069362505" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">spoken out against the trans community</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/932504794328993797" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">multiple</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgQy70_LPS4" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">occasions</a>. </span></font></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">He </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/apr/05/whats-up-pewdiepie-the-troubling-content-of-youtubes-biggest-star" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">championed Jordan Peterson’s book</span></a>.</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> (Peterson <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37875695" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">loudly opposed legislation</a> protecting gender expression and identity;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/07/how-dangerous-is-jordan-b-peterson-the-rightwing-professor-who-hit-a-hornets-nest" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">dismissed the existence of</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> female oppression, Islamophobia, and white privilege; and has made </span><a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2018/3/26/17144166/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">a number of disparaging comments</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> about “identity politics” and oppression.)</span></span></font></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">He reportedly</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> followed several controversial figures on Twitter, many of whom have been criticized for their <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alt-right" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">alt-right</a> (or right-wing extremist) and otherwise racist language. (YouTuber JonTron, for example, made <a href="http://time.com/4701304/jontron-jon-jafari-steve-bonnell-immigration-race-youtube/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">white nationalistic comments</a> about race and immigration; Stefan Molyneux</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> is a white supremacist who </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/stefan-molyneux" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">actively promotes</a> eugenics; Canadian alt-right white nationalist Lauren Southern was <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/far-right-figures-say-they-were-deported-from-britain" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">banned from the U.K</a>. for aggressive Islamophobia; Paul Joseph Watson is a talking head for Infowars</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.)</span></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[img]</font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nearly all of these scandals have been met with half-hearted apologies, most of which involve some iteration of “I was just joking.” Nevertheless, jokes are a form of normalization. PewDiePie’s continued insistence on making light of violent white supremacy sends a very specific message to his subscribers: that mass genocide is funny, oppression is inconsequential, and even neo-Nazis can make some great points.</font></li></ul><p style="margin: 20px auto 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 609.531px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PewDiePie using his platform to bombard a young, impressionable generation with the pillars of the alt-right isn’t just irresponsible—it’s dangerous. Casual bigotry leads to violent hatred; people have died because of that very hatred that PewDiePie mocks and, casually or otherwise, promotes and validates. The slow and steady dehumanization of marginalized groups via ironic humor is one of the most insidious and pervasive forms of radicalization we face today.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 20px auto 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 609.531px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The New Zealand gunman didn’t carry out two mass shootings because of one YouTuber. He didn’t shout out PewDiePie to credit him as an inspiration; he <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/the-great-subscriber-war-subscribe-to-pewdiepie" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">referenced a meme</a> that was sure to distract and dismay the internet in the face of an unspeakable act of terrorism. But it’s no coincidence that Nazis are attracted to PewDiePie—his insistence on making bigoted jokes (which frames the rhetoric of neo-Nazism as entertaining) and spotlighting radical right-wing figures makes his channel seem like a welcoming space for that population.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 20px auto 20px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 609.531px; letter-spacing: 0.1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Nazis and casual racists have <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/15/17979118/youtube-alt-right-two-reports" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">found a definite home on YouTube</a>, they don’t flock to every corner of the platform. PewDiePie needs to make them feel unwelcome by reexamining how he handles marginalized identities on his channel. It’s time for him to condemn all the forms of bigotry he’s dismissed as “jokes”—no more excuses or feeble apologies, but decisive condemnation and the actions to match.</font></span></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><div id="r1-0" class="result results_links_deep highlight_d result--url-above-snippet" data-domain="www.quora.com" data-hostname="www.quora.com" data-nir="1" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2em; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, " proxima="Proxima" nova="Nova" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" segoe="Segoe" ui="UI" nimbus="Nimbus" sans="Sans" l="L" liberation="Liberation" open="Open" freesans="FreeSans" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" webkit-font-smoothing="webkit-font-smoothing" subpixel-antialiased="subpixel-antialiased" webkit-tap-highlight-color="webkit-tap-highlight-color" rgba="rgba" position="position" relative="relative" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" break-word="break-word" border-radius="border-radius" color="color" rgb="rgb" background-color="background-color"><div class="resultbody links_main links_deep" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.5em 10px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 class="resulttitle" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: middle; position: static; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><a class="resulta" rel="noopener" href="https://www.quora.com/Is-PewDiePie-alt-right" style="margin: 0px 0px -0.05em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.22; vertical-align: middle; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Is <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie</span> <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">alt-right</span>? - Quora</font></a></h2><div class="resultextras js-result-extras" style="margin: 1px 0px 2px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: flex; position: relative; min-height: 1.57em; top: 0px;"><div class="resultextrasurl" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; width: 568px; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="resulticon " style="margin: -3px 0.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: middle; overflow: hidden; display: inline-block; width: 16px;"><a href="https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pewdiepie%20alt%20right+site:www.quora.com&atb=v31-5" title="Search domain www.quora.com/Is-PewDiePie-alt-right" class="js-result-extras-site_search" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><img data-src="//proxy.duckduckgo.com/ip3/www.quora.com.ico" height="16" width="16" title="Search domain www.quora.com/Is-PewDiePie-alt-right" class="resulticonimg js-lazyload-icons" src="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/ip3/www.quora.com.ico" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 16px;" /></a></span><a href="https://www.quora.com/Is-PewDiePie-alt-right" rel="noopener" class="resulturl js-result-extras-url" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="resulturldomain" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">https://www.quora.com</span><span class="resulturlfull" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; opacity: 1; visibility: visible;">/Is-PewDiePie-alt-right</span></a></font></div></div><div class="resultsnippet js-result-snippet" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.45; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">No, not everyone who is anti-Semitic is <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">alt-right</span>. There's no indication that he has an elabourate critique of the Enlightenment, that he thinks that the United States should engage in ethnic cleansing, or believes that the white race needs to organize to prevent being the victim of a genocide. He just seems...</font></div></div></div><div id="organic-module" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, " proxima="Proxima" nova="Nova" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" segoe="Segoe" ui="UI" nimbus="Nimbus" sans="Sans" l="L" liberation="Liberation" open="Open" freesans="FreeSans" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" color="color" rgb="rgb" background-color="background-color"><div id="r1-1" class="result results_links_deep highlight_d result--url-above-snippet" data-domain="www.dailydot.com" data-hostname="www.dailydot.com" data-nir="1" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2em; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, " proxima="Proxima" nova="Nova" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" segoe="Segoe" ui="UI" nimbus="Nimbus" sans="Sans" l="L" liberation="Liberation" open="Open" freesans="FreeSans" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" webkit-font-smoothing="webkit-font-smoothing" subpixel-antialiased="subpixel-antialiased" webkit-tap-highlight-color="webkit-tap-highlight-color" rgba="rgba" position="position" relative="relative" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" break-word="break-word" border-radius="border-radius" color="color" rgb="rgb" background-color="background-color"><div class="resultbody links_main links_deep" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.5em 10px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 class="resulttitle" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: middle; position: static; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><a class="resulta" rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailydot.com/irl/pewdiepie-new-zealand-alt-right-nazi/" style="margin: 0px 0px -0.05em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.22; vertical-align: middle; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie's</span> <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Alt-Right</span> Ties Are Impossible to Ignore</font></a></h2><div class="resultextras js-result-extras" style="margin: 1px 0px 2px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: flex; position: relative; min-height: 1.57em; top: 0px;"><div class="resultextrasurl" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; width: 568px; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="resulticon " style="margin: -3px 0.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: middle; overflow: hidden; display: inline-block; width: 16px;"><a href="https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pewdiepie%20alt%20right+site:www.dailydot.com&atb=v31-5" title="Search domain www.dailydot.com/irl/pewdiepie-new-zealand-alt-right-nazi/" class="js-result-extras-site_search" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><img data-src="//proxy.duckduckgo.com/ip3/www.dailydot.com.ico" height="16" width="16" title="Search domain www.dailydot.com/irl/pewdiepie-new-zealand-alt-right-nazi/" class="resulticonimg js-lazyload-icons" src="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/ip3/www.dailydot.com.ico" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 16px;" /></a></span><a href="https://www.dailydot.com/irl/pewdiepie-new-zealand-alt-right-nazi/" rel="noopener" class="resulturl js-result-extras-url" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="resulturldomain" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">https://www.dailydot.com</span><span class="resulturlfull" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; opacity: 1; visibility: visible;">/irl/pewdiepie-new-zealand-alt-right-nazi/</span></a></font></div></div><div class="resultsnippet js-result-snippet" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.45; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie's</span> <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">alt-right</span> ties are impossible to ignore. Our Picks. Popular. Sections. The best new movies at SXSW 2019. Tiffany Kelly ...</font></div></div></div><div id="r1-2" class="result results_links_deep highlight_d result--url-above-snippet" data-domain="www.vox.com" data-hostname="www.vox.com" data-nir="1" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2em; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, " proxima="Proxima" nova="Nova" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" segoe="Segoe" ui="UI" nimbus="Nimbus" sans="Sans" l="L" liberation="Liberation" open="Open" freesans="FreeSans" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" webkit-font-smoothing="webkit-font-smoothing" subpixel-antialiased="subpixel-antialiased" webkit-tap-highlight-color="webkit-tap-highlight-color" rgba="rgba" position="position" relative="relative" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" break-word="break-word" border-radius="border-radius" color="color" rgb="rgb" background-color="background-color"><div class="resultbody links_main links_deep" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.5em 10px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 class="resulttitle" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: middle; position: static; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><a class="resulta" rel="noopener" href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/17/14613234/pewdiepie-nazi-satire-alt-right" style="margin: 0px 0px -0.05em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.22; vertical-align: middle; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The controversy over YouTube star <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie</span> and his anti ...</font></a></h2><div class="resultextras js-result-extras" style="margin: 1px 0px 2px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: flex; position: relative; min-height: 1.57em; top: 0px;"><div class="resultextrasurl" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; width: 568px; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="resulticon " style="margin: -3px 0.5em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: middle; overflow: hidden; display: inline-block; width: 16px;"><a href="https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pewdiepie%20alt%20right+site:www.vox.com&atb=v31-5" title="Search domain www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/17/14613234/pewdiepie-nazi-satire-alt-right" class="js-result-extras-site_search" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><img data-src="//proxy.duckduckgo.com/ip3/www.vox.com.ico" height="16" width="16" title="Search domain www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/17/14613234/pewdiepie-nazi-satire-alt-right" class="resulticonimg js-lazyload-icons" src="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/ip3/www.vox.com.ico" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 16px;" /></a></span><a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/17/14613234/pewdiepie-nazi-satire-alt-right" rel="noopener" class="resulturl js-result-extras-url" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="resulturldomain" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">https://www.vox.com</span><span class="resulturlfull" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; opacity: 1; visibility: visible;">/culture/2017/2/17/14613234/pewdiepie-nazi-satire-alt-right</span></a></font></div></div><div class="resultsnippet js-result-snippet" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.45; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To many people, <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie</span> seems to have been paying court to the <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">alt-right</span> for months. Over the past six months, members of some gaming forums and 4chan have gradually started referring to Kjellberg as being "redpilled," a common <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">alt-right</span> metaphor for "waking up" to the "truth" about leftist propaganda.</font></div></div></div><div id="r1-3" class="result results_links_deep highlight_d result--url-above-snippet" data-domain="www.reddit.com" data-hostname="www.reddit.com" data-nir="1" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2em; padding: 0px; border: 1px solid transparent; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: DDG_ProximaNova, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_0, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_1, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_2, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_3, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_4, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_5, DDG_ProximaNova_UI_6, " proxima="Proxima" nova="Nova" helvetica="Helvetica" neue="Neue" segoe="Segoe" ui="UI" nimbus="Nimbus" sans="Sans" l="L" liberation="Liberation" open="Open" freesans="FreeSans" arial="Arial" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" webkit-font-smoothing="webkit-font-smoothing" subpixel-antialiased="subpixel-antialiased" webkit-tap-highlight-color="webkit-tap-highlight-color" rgba="rgba" position="position" relative="relative" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" break-word="break-word" border-radius="border-radius" color="color" rgb="rgb" background-color="background-color"><div class="resultbody links_main links_deep" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.5em 10px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 class="resulttitle" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: middle; position: static; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><a class="resulta" rel="noopener" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/GamerGhazi/comments/b2mmtw/after_new_zealand_pewdiepies_altright_ties_are/" style="margin: 0px 0px -0.05em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.22; vertical-align: middle; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">After New Zealand, <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie's</span> <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">alt-right</span> ties are impossible ...</font></a></h2><div class="resultextras js-result-extras" style="margin: 1px 0px 2px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: flex; position: relative; min-height: 1.57em; top: 0px;"><div class="resultextrasurl" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; width: 568px; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="resulticon " style="margin: -3px 0.5em 0px 0px; 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vertical-align: baseline; opacity: 1; visibility: visible;">/r/GamerGhazi/comments/b2mmtw/after_new_zealand_pewdiepies_altright_ties_are/</span></a></font></div></div><div class="result__snippet js-result-snippet" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.45; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie</span> using his platform to bombard a young, impressionable generation with the pillars of the <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">alt-right</span> isn't just irresponsible—it's dangerous. Casual bigotry leads to violent hatred; people have died because of that very hatred that <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">PewDiePie</span> mocks and, casually or otherwise, promotes and validates.</font></div></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div></div></div></div>