In all, Meta’s researchers uncovered 510 Facebook accounts, 11 pages, 32 Instagram accounts and one group that were tied to the effort, including fake and previously hacked accounts. The accounts posed as “Jewish students, African Americans and ‘concerned’ citizens” and shared posts that praised Israel’s military actions and criticized the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and college protests. They also shared Islamaophobic comments in Canada, saying that “radical Islam poses a threat to liberal values in Canada.”
I've really struggled with social media over the last several years. I hate most of the major platforms for the endless scroll and the mindlessness it promotes. And the constant question about the authenticity of every post is...exhausting. I dialed back my Facebook use first, years ago. Weirdly, though, I'm slowly returning to that and dropping Instagram and Twitter/X (I never rally "did" TikTok). Why now for Facebook? I don't know, really, as I'm just now thinking about it. Maybe it has something to do with the authenticity it provides. My interactions there are, for the most part, with people I've actually met in person at some point in my life. There's something comforting about having those real world relationships as a foundation for online interactions.
Or maybe I'm just getting older.
posted by matt in Wednesday, May 29, 2024