John,
Trump has a new and bizarre explanation for why Kamala Harris’ rally crowd sizes are bigger than his – the photos and videos are all doctored and the crowds are AI generated.
This obviously isn’t true. The validity of the photos and videos of her rallies has been verified by the Associated Press, Snopes, and even rally attendees. So why are Trump’s claims going viral on TikTok?
It’s no secret that misinformation and extremism thrive on social media. But thanks to TikTok’s secretive and highly personalized algorithm, its users are exposed to increasingly alarming false attacks on Vice President Harris.
One video promoting the AI crowd conspiracy received over 3 million views. Another, 1.3 million. A third? Nearly 12 million views before TikTok eventually removed it.
When Harris first joined the race, Trump, the far-right, and TikTok merged to spread racist and misogynistic attacks questioning everything from her qualifications to her intelligence.
While the crowd size conspiracy seems trivial in comparison, it’s just as sinister.
By asking supporters to question what they see with their own eyes, Trump is priming his base to question the election results in November if he loses. It’s a next level authoritarian move that would make Orwell blush.
And TikTok’s algorithm rewards users for creating content that repeats a viral trend. That makes the platform the perfect vehicle for Trump’s conspiracy theories to spread at lightning speed.
Here at COURIER, we have the tools to fight back against a social media misinformation campaign like this one. We call out right-wing conspiracies in the online spaces and social platforms where their lies thrive, including TikTok.
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Thank you,
COURIER