RANJENI MUNUSAMY: In an election year, all’s fair in love and information war
ANC elections head Fikile Mbalula says his party’s new social media propaganda machine is not secretive and, like the other main political parties, they are using Twitter as a battleground for campaigning.
ANC elections head Fikile Mbalula says his party’s new social media propaganda machine is not secretive and, like the other main political parties, they are using Twitter as a battleground for campaigning. He told Sunday Times his new “boiler room”, operated by 60 activists creating positive noise about the ANC and bashing opposition parties, was a “clean campaign”. “There is no underground movement about it. The ANC is fighting its war on Twitter by mobilising its members,” Mbalula said. No matter how he tries to legitimise it, the creation of a troll farm that runs political commentary and manufactures public discourse is clandestine and designed to deceive. But, information warfare is the way of the world and social media propaganda has become a successful tool to influence the outcome of elections. The manipulation of voters in the Brexit referendum in the UK in June 2016 and the US presidential elections in November of that year is now well documented. Brazil’s elections in 201...
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