As a boutique PR agency that also specializes in content marketing, we know that social media has an impact on people’s conversations and perceptions in the real world. If it didn’t, organizations and brands wouldn’t use content marketing to the extent that they do. While it is a tool that can influence public perception, there is no way an audience can be certain of who is posting content on social media. It also may be more difficult to determine, on first glance, if the content is genuine. In this week’s wrap, we take you through some news stories examining how a certain organization is faking its social content.
The Chinese government creates over 488 million fake social posts every year, so says a study by Harvard University researchers. Their research also suggests that many of these posts are the work of civil servants who double as online stooges. The posts largely steer away from controversial topics and are instead designed to redirect public attention from ongoing criticism. Apparently when it comes to information control, distraction is a very clever strategy.
The posts are widely believed to be the work of China’s Fifty Cent Party, so labeled because the government is rumored to pay them 50 cents for each post.. The propaganda workers (likely employees of various government agencies) attempt to highlight positive aspects of the regime, such as its revolutionary past. The timing of the social posts, as discovered by the researchers, often coordinated with times of political unrest. Some touted China’s recent economic development, while others acknowledged the contributions of national heroes to the country’s legacy.
The research team used an elaborate methodology in its study, creating numerous fake accounts of their own, then asking suspected Fifty Cent party members an elaborate set of questions to confirm that posters were getting guidance from authorities. One researcher stated that large-scale analysis of data allowed them to directly summarize and observe what people in China’s government system were doing.
What other ways are organizations using social to influence conversations? Let us know in the comments below!
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Sam Bojarski is an associate at WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at sam.bojarski@wordwritepr.com.
