Using common social media tactics to subvert US elections

Groups tied to the Russian government have been trying to meddle in US politics since at least the 2016 elections.

The latest efforts to disrupt the US midterm elections through Facebook manipulation seem to be following a persuasion playbook refined by legitimate companies and organisations – but with a twist.

The aim of these possibly Russia-linked perpetrators appears to be to draw in as many people as possible with emotional appeals and then spur them to action. In this case, though, the action is public protest rather than affinity marketing, and the goal is to sow dissension rather than to build brand awareness.