Elementary Library

Bot

Blue Liar

Flash Bomber

Motives ● Surface motive is increased engagement

Motives ● Cousin to the white liar - spread false information because they believe the ends justify the means ● Ultimate goal is societal change ● Believe they are fighting for the “greater good” Tools and Tactics ● Edited content/context to warn of a terrible outcome or event if something isn’t prevented ● Sensational Language ● Quotes from anonymous, official sounding, sources ● Triggers to spark fear Wins ● Public behavior changes or policy changes ● Viral content Losses ● Lack of engagement Motives ● Easily explain uncomfortable realities ● Discredit others & establish themselves as an authority ● Make disinformation appear trustworthy ● Share sincere concern, absurd play, curiosity, nihilism, boredom, or some mixture of all of these Tools and Tactics ● Easy to digest content. (Memes, etc) ● Altered content (Deep Fakes, etc) ● Triggers feelings of outrage, anger and superiority (to those being duped by reality) Wins ● Fool public ● Content recognized/shared as legitimate ● Viral content Losses ● Blocks, account suspension ● Transparency when a source is revealed Related To: ● The Concerned Cousin ● The Troll ● The Propagandist ● Status quo Related To: ● The Click Chaser ● The Insider ● The White Liar Conspiracy Theorist

Motives ● Distraction, confusion and attention fatigue ● Draw attention away from another person or event Tools and Tactics ● Repetition: cluttering feeds w/ an overwhelming amount of information ● Sensational language/click and share bait ● Outrageous claims coupled with emotionally charged media (photos, memes or videos) ● Triggers fear, hate, outrage or a feeling of superiority to those featured in the content Wins ● Positive attention is drawn to the object of affection ● Public disengagement with news/information ● Public feels helpless affecting information feeds Losses ● Silence ● Increased/sustained engagement on OTHER content Motives ● Provide support for someone else (often a celebrity) ● Discredit others (seen as an enemy of said celebrity) Tools and Tactics ● Bots ● Repetition (impression to more fans than they do) ● Personal Attacks (on those seen as destractors) Wins ● Clicks/Viral Response ● Positive attention drawn to the object of affection ● Cancel Culture ● Creates virtual empathy Losses ● Silence ● Lack of engagement ● Negative attention (for the celebrity) Related To: ● The Bot ● The Cyborg ● The Mimicker Related To: ● The Spark ● The Wannabe

● Underlying motive automated by the writer of the code ● Bots are used to spread propaganda, content or to make an account appear to have more engagement than it actually does Tools and Tactics ● Repetition or cloning of message, “bandwagon effect” ● Sensational language/click & share bait ● Outrageous claims with little evidence ● Emotional Triggers: Spark fear, hate and outrage Wins ● Amplifying viewpoints online (viral) ● Increased engagement Losses ● Blocks or account suspension ● Transparency: when source is revealed. Related To: ● The Sock Puppet ● The Cyborg ● The Mimicker Motives ● Create accounts & platforms to make false content appear as legitimate as possible, by closely modeling trusted sources or brand recognition ● Make disinformation appear trustworthy Tools and Tactics ● Edited content ● Advanced tech to create content that looks/feels real ● Bot uses social media to automate content spread ● Triggers any and all people Wins ● Fool public ● Content recognized/shared as legitimate ● Viral content Losses ● Transparency, exposure, labeled as “fake” ● Silence, lack of engagement Related To: ● The Bot ● The Doppelganger ● The Stan

Stan

Mimicker