Algorithm Election: Six Israelis Tracked for Campaign Insights
Translated & summarized from Haaretz by baba
An Israeli news outlet created six fictional online personas to track social media during an election campaign, analyzing 80,000 posts and videos to reveal a divided reality. A report about the UAE president warning Prime Minister Netanyahu about Hamas before the attack became a focal point of online discussion and debate, with one channel later dismissing the report.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Six fictional Israeli online personas were created to track social media campaign activity.
- Analysis of 80,000 posts and videos revealed a divided reality on social media.
- A report claimed the UAE president warned Netanyahu about Hamas before the attack.
- The report generated significant social media discussion and debate.
- Channel 14 later declared the original report's investigation had collapsed.
An Israeli news outlet created six fictional online personas to monitor social media during an election campaign, tracking their feeds for four months. An analysis of 80,000 posts and videos revealed a divided reality.
On September 8, a report surfaced that the President of the United Arab Emirates had called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the Hamas attack, warning of a "formidable and unusual operation" by Yahya Sinwar. This revelation caused a stir in Israel and abroad, generating significant social media discussion. Rafi, a 53-year-old from Kiryat Shmona, encountered numerous reports on the matter in his feed. He later concluded it was "complete fake news," and two days later, Channel 14 definitively declared "Haaretz's investigation collapsed."
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