Is there a certain psychotype that makes one especially susceptible to repeating propoganda online?
I just have to wonder if there were certain types of people who are somehow more inclined than others to not online believe internet propaganda, but feel the need to actively spread it, without being direct agents of those creating it?
Apparently, Cambridge Analytica categorized 5,000 different "psychotypes", i.e. psychological profiles of people. It is believed that Russian agents and hackers directly used that data to target US voters and utilize social networks in the spreading of propaganda that would help to sway people towards Donald Trump.
The thing about the entire situation is that the fact someone is spreading Russian-produced propaganda does not mean they are direct and willing agents of the Russian government or Russian trolling communities. And not everyone is a bot profile either. I believe there are a lot of people--whether on a social network like Facebook or Twitter, or a community like DU--who are psychologically inclined to repeat things that suggest ideas such as "deep state" conspiracy theories.
Case in point: I have a friend on my Facebook feed. I knew him from growing up. Back then he was a nice enough guy personally, loved his family, but these days his Facebook feed has focused heavily on promoting Donald Trump and also pushing various ridiculous theories such as the "Clinton body count".
Within an hour of the Putin-Trump press conference in Helsinki, he put out a single question, meant to be rhetorical: "Who is Bill Browder?" Obviously, this was due to Putin name dropping him at the event.
Now, I know this guy, personally. He's not a bot. And I highly doubt he's in a position to have actually been personally conscripted by the Russians to spew their nonsense. He's barely been out of my hometown, let alone to Russia.
There's another guy on my Facebook I know personally. He's a bit of a smartass but to his credit is always civil in his means of discourse. He actively pushes pro-Russian propaganda on his page on just about all lines--Syria, Ukraine, sanctions, etc. Again, he's not a bot and I doubt he's on the Kremlin payroll. But he does a great job of pushing their storylines.
So what is it? Is there some sort of "hook" in certain people's minds that make them targets for these Russian trolls pushing false narratives in order to disrupt? And I wonder how they might have been specifically targeted to do their bidding?
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