Resources
Remember to be careful when engaging online. The great majority of social media accounts are genuine, but if you aren’t sure, it is usually best not to engage. Trolls want influence. They can only have that if you follow them and share their messages. They will only drive us farther apart if we help them.
Organizations working to fight disinformation
The National Association of Media Literacy Education.
A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, works as a “consumer advocate” for voters and aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in politics.
UNESCO works to train journalists to fight fake news and disinformation.
The Stanford Internet Observatory fights disinformation through research, teaching, and policy.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency supplies resources for 2020 election security.
The Cabinet Office of the Government of the United Kingdom reminds us that things online are not always what they seem. They supply this checklist to use before you share.
Articles about Russian trolls and disinformation
Dec 30, 2019 | NPR
An insightful discussion by Geoff Nunberg.
Nov 25, 2019 | Rolling Stone
Professional trolls aren’t always the bullies you might think they are. Trolls want to be your friend. Read more from the creators of this quiz at Rolling Stone.
Feb 16, 2018 | The Atlantic
Read about the origins of Russia’s Internet Research Agency in this piece from The Atlantic by Krishnadev Calamur.
More about the specific profiles and troll methods used in this quiz
Profile 1, Chloe Evans | profile | full analysis
Feb 7, 2020 | The Associated Press
David Klepper from The Associated Press explains the difference between bots and trolls.
Jun 8, 2015 | PBS News Hour
PBS News Hour from June 2015 has more about Chloe
Profile 2, Harmony Anderson | profile | full analysis
Feb 6, 2020 | Politifact
Did that video about the DNC group teaching immigrants to vote seem suspicious? Learn more about it from Politifact.
Feb 16, 2018 | NBC News
NBC’s Ben Popken has more to say about the influential troll account, @TEN_GOP.
Nov 02, 2017 | Daily Beast
@Jenn_Abrams was featured in articles from dozens of media outlets before anyone knew she was a foreign influence account. This included The Washington Post, CNN, BBC, France24, and The New York Times. Read more from Ben Collins and Joseph Cox at the Daily Beast.
Profile 3, Christopher Worrick | profile | full analysis
Jan 30, 2020 | Quartz
There is danger in thinking social media accounts are foreign trolls without proof. Hanna Kozlowska spoke to the Atlantic Council’s Emerson Brooking about this for Quartz.
Profile 4, American Feminist | profile | full analysis
Feb 22, 2020 | The New York Times
Curious why Russian troll accounts would simultaneously support both President Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders? The New York Times’ David Sanger explores this question in depth.
Oct 24, 2019 | MIT Technology Review
Disinformation on platforms like Instagram is often spread through the use of internet memes. These tools are particularly effective in combining both visual and written communication. Joan Donavan writes about how the meme can power disinformation for MIT’s Technology Review.
Profile 5, Amy G | profile | full analysis
Apr 23, 2019 | Slate
Learn more about the history of trolls masquerading as Black women and how they were first uncovered in this piece by Rachelle Hampton at Slate.
5/21/2020 | The Lawfare Podcast
Accounts employing “digital blackface” have been among the most influential created by the Russian IRA. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Deen Freelon and his colleagues have explored how. He discussed this work with “The Lawfare Podcast.”
Apr 11, 2020 | CNN
Trolls continue to attempt to influence the Black community and are adapting their methods in how to do so. In Spring 2020, Clemson University worked with CNN, Facebook, Twitter, and others to identify and shut down a Russian-funded troll operation located in West Africa. These troll specifically targeted Black and LGBTQ communities.
Profile 6, Chenjerai Kumanyika | profile | full analysis
Jul 20, 2018 | Wired
It can be very difficult to identify foreign-operated troll accounts. Even the social media companies have made mistakes. In 2017 Clemson University worked with journalists at WIRED to identify several real people who had their accounts suspended because they were misidentified as Russian Internet Research Agency trolls.
Explore Professor Kumanyika’s Peabody award winning podcast, Uncivil, “where we go back to the time our divisions turned into a war, and bring you stories left out of the official history.”
Profile 7, Nevada Peace Officers | profile | full analysis
Oct 20, 2018 | Medium
If you would like to know more about how trolls engage in opposing sides of online conflict, Kate Starbird’s Medium article deftly discusses their strategy. The graphs she shares are remarkable.
Profile 8, Mike Adams | profile | full analysis
Feb 15, 2018 | McGill University
Read more about Mike Adams in this article from Jonathan Jarry for the McGill University Office for Science and Society.
Apr 13, 2020 | The New York Times
Get more background on Russia’s ongoing efforts to undermine science in this report from the New York Times’ William J. Broad
4/2/2020 | The Washington Post
The creators of this quiz talk about the public’s culpability in spreading misinformation in this article for The Washington Post.