AlphaFox

Alphafox78 is a real person who makes a financial profit from the engagement he receives on his X account. Like other influencers, he occupies a thematic niche. For some, their niche is fashion. Others might focus on sports. For Alphafox78, the niche is offensive, politically charged humor. This content is sometimes referred to as “rage bait.” For some, it confirms their prior beliefs, and they share it because they find it funny. Many engage with the content, however, specifically because it offends them. The more sensational and attention-grabbing his content is, the more engagement it receives, and the more money AlphaFox78 (and also the social media platform) makes. Unfortunately, the truth of the information he shares or how it might impact others is not his concern. As you can see below in a screenshot Alphafox78 posted to his X account, offensive content has been lucrative for him.

Engagement is not the only way AlphaFox78 makes money from posts. In October 2024, journalists investigated AlphaFox78 after he was found to be the first to share a video identified as Russian election fraud. He admitted to CNN’s Isabel Rosales that he was paid $100 to post the video by an individual known to be a registered Russian agent. Despite being caught red-handed peddling foreign lies, AlphaFox78’s account is still active. While his audience may have followed him because of his ‘realness’, his memes, or his ideological leaning, they were ultimately fed falsehoods from a foreign government.

It is always best to be wary of accounts that make claims that seem sensational and aren’t confirmed by other reliable sources. It may also be wise to avoid accounts that seem built explicitly to share offensive and insensitive content, especially when that content affirms cultural biases and creates animosity against specific groups of people. The bottom line is that trolls spread false and misleading information and undermine important institutions (like science or democracy), but so do real people. They simply have different motivations. It is important to watch out for both.