Algorithm Election: Six Israelis Tracked to Reveal Campaign Dynamics
Translated & summarized from Haaretz by baba
An Israeli news outlet tracked six fictional personas for four months, analyzing 80,000 social media posts to understand election dynamics and reveal a "split reality." A key event examined was a Haaretz report about a UAE president's warning to Prime Minister Netanyahu before the Hamas attack, which was later dismissed as "fake news" by some social media users and outlets.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Six fictional personas were used to track Israeli social media campaign dynamics over four months.
- Analysis of 80,000 posts and videos revealed a "split reality" in public perception.
- A Haaretz report about a UAE warning to Netanyahu before the Hamas attack was scrutinized.
- The report was initially dismissed as "fake news" by some social media users.
- Channel 14 later declared Haaretz's investigation into the warning had "collapsed."
An Israeli news outlet created six fictional personas to monitor social media campaigns over four months, analyzing 80,000 posts and videos to understand the electoral landscape online. This analysis revealed a "split reality" in how the public perceives campaign events.
One significant event tracked was the September 8th report by Haaretz alleging that the President of the United Arab Emirates had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of an "imminent and unusual operation" by Yahya Sinwar prior to the Hamas attack. This revelation generated widespread coverage in Israel and abroad, and significant social media discussion.
Following the report, a 53-year-old resident of Kiryat Shmona named Rafi encountered numerous reports on the subject in his feed. He initially dismissed the information as "complete fake news." Two days later, Channel 14 declared that "Haaretz's investigation collapsed," settling the debate for him.
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