Title Manufacturing consensus : understanding propaganda in the era of automation and anonymity / Samuel Wooley

Published New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2023] ©2023

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Description 1 online resource Contents Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Propaganda, Social Media, and Political Bots -- 2 Understanding Manufactured Consensus -- 3 State Use of Computational Propaganda -- 4 Automated Political Influencers -- 5 Social Media Companies, the Technology Industry, and Propaganda -- 6 Journalism and Political Bots -- Conclusion: Provocations, Solutions, and the Future of Manufacturing Consensus -- Notes -- Index Summary "Until recently, propaganda was a top-down, elite-only system of communication control used largely by state actors. Samuel Woolley argues that social media has democratized today's propaganda, allowing nearly anyone to launch a fairly sophisticated, computationally enhanced influence campaign. Woolley shows how social media, with its anonymity and capacity for automation, allows a wide variety of groups to build the illusion of popularity through computational tools (such as bots) and human-driven efforts (such as sockpuppets--real people assuming false identities online--and partisan influencers). They use these technologies and strategies to create a bandwagon effect by bringing the content into parallel discussions with other legitimate users, or to mold discontent for political purposes. Drawing on eight years of original international ethnographic research among the people who build, combat, and experience these propaganda campaigns, Woolley presents an extensive view of the evolution of computational propaganda, offers a glimpse into the future, and suggests pragmatic responses for policy makers, academics, technologists, and others."--Dust jacket Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-204) and index Notes Print version record Subject Social media -- Political aspects Digital media -- Political aspects Communication in politics -- Technological innovations Propaganda -- Technological innovations Disinformation -- Technological innovations POLITICAL SCIENCE / Propaganda. Communication in politics -- Technological innovations Digital media -- Political aspects Social media -- Political aspects Sociology & anthropology. Society. Genre/Form Electronic books Form Electronic book ISBN 9780300269154 0300269153

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