Do you have conservative relatives who insist that Democrats or Liberals are guilty of some crazy transgression but can offer no evidence? (Agenda 21, Benghazi, Obama birth certificate, Pizzagate…) Where do these come from and how do they get distributed? There is a new meme circulating, and I thought it would be a good time to review how the propaganda machine of the GOP works.
#WalkAway
This is an example of what is known as a hashtag in social media and it is a short-hand reference to an idea or trend. Postings you find on Twitter that include that hashtag in the body of the text are referencing a notion that is being actively promoted by conservative media outlets. In this case, they are inferring that Democrats are renouncing the party “in droves” because the Democrats have become this hateful group advocating physical harm to conservatives. Of course, this is not true, but the underlying purpose is to energize a base of voters who are susceptible to this kind of propaganda– and the job is getting done with little risk of a libel suit.
Origination
The website ARC traced the origin of this meme to a Facebook group called #WalkAway. It is not clear who created this group and the video testimony is too slickly produced to be genuine, but it reinforces an assertion by Donald Trump regarding Democratic lawmakers and calls by Fox News for greater civility from the Left. The topic of the day is intended to manufacture a feeling of being under siege in the more gullible among Donald Trump’s base. Nothing motivates more than the belief you are under attack by evil doers.
Amplification
A bot is a computer application that can mimic real live social media participants and post massive quantities of targeted posts. Hamilton68 is a bipartisan organization that has been tracking Russian bot activity, and not surprisingly, the hashtag #WalkAway is currently the top among their posts. The meme is being repeated by conservative nonsense sites like our own Gateway Pundit and public figures like Sarah Palin to give it gravitas, but it’s a good bet that a crazy post shared by relative on Facebook or Twitter is actually the work of a Russian bot.
Effects
For many of us, outrageous conspiracy theories may seem humorous and are easily dis-regarded. However, for individuals who’ve already marked themselves as right-leaning, the algorithms of the social media engines keep directing propaganda like #WalkAway in their direction. They get social conditioning that keeps them voting against their own interests, and the rest of us are deflected from having serious discussions about policy.
What to do?
Skepticism is healthy when consuming Internet based claims. Most real-world events aren’t nearly as outrageous as the picture political propaganda paints.
Be aware that there are automated methods being used from outside of the United States to affect public opinion within our country. The tools are very sophisticated, and with a complicit administration, there is very little being done to stem the flow of this misinformation.
Regarding your crazy relatives, you won’t win an argument challenging their conclusions, but you might want to challenge their sources. You might ask for proof of what they say, and steer them to more practical discussions of legislative policy.
Submitted by Mark Toenjes, WCD Member