Alex Bruesewitz on how paid influence campaigns shape what you see online

Jul 30, 2026

A look inside political social media from a Trump-aligned operator, painting a bleak-heavy picture that's bad for anyone who trusts what they read online.

  • Foreign governments and special interests quietly pay US influencers to push messaging, with tens of millions spent on social media alone every month.
  • A rival operator, Brad Parscale, reportedly landed a $50M contract funded through Israel β€” said to be the largest foreign-agent deal ever for one firm.
  • Spotting fake campaigns: watch for repetition β€” many accounts suddenly pushing the same obscure issue, then dropping it, usually means paid coordination.
  • Over half of internet traffic and comments are bots, so what looks like public opinion is often manufactured.
  • Young people are turning to socialist candidates because they genuinely can't get ahead β€” most 18-to-30-year-olds still live with parents and the average first-time homebuyer is now 41.

Outlook: Expect more AI-generated content and paid narrative wars online, with calls for stronger disclosure laws around who's funding political messaging.

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